Eccentricity Practice
Authored by Jessica Gordon
Science
8th Grade
NGSS covered
Used 55+ times
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This quiz focuses on orbital eccentricity, a fundamental concept in Earth and space science that examines the shape characteristics of planetary orbits. Designed for 8th grade students, the assessment covers the mathematical definition of eccentricity as the ratio of the distance between foci to the length of the major axis, the eccentricity scale from 0 (perfect circle) to approaching 1 (highly elliptical), and real-world applications including planetary orbital shapes. Students need to understand that eccentricity quantifies how much an elliptical orbit deviates from a perfect circle, recognize that the Sun occupies one focus of each planetary orbit, and apply the eccentricity formula to calculate numerical values. The quiz requires students to interpret eccentricity values, compare orbital shapes of different celestial bodies, and connect mathematical concepts to astronomical phenomena they observe in our solar system. Created by Jessica Gordon, a Science teacher in the US who teaches grade 8. This quiz serves as an excellent tool for reinforcing students' understanding of orbital mechanics after introducing Kepler's laws and elliptical orbits. Teachers can deploy this assessment as a warm-up activity to activate prior knowledge before exploring planetary motion in greater depth, or as formative assessment to gauge student comprehension of eccentricity calculations and interpretations. The quiz works particularly well as homework practice, allowing students to solidify their understanding of the relationship between numerical eccentricity values and orbital shapes at their own pace. For review sessions, teachers can use individual questions to spark class discussions about why planetary orbits vary in eccentricity and how this affects seasonal variations and orbital periods. This assessment aligns with NGSS 5-ESS1-2 and supports the development of mathematical thinking skills outlined in CCSS.MATH.CONTENT.8.EE.A.2 as students work with scientific notation and proportional relationships in astronomical contexts.
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12 questions
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1.
MULTIPLE CHOICE QUESTION
1 min • 1 pt
A perfect circle has an eccentricity of ______.
2.
MULTIPLE CHOICE QUESTION
1 min • 1 pt
Which planet has an orbital eccentricity most like the orbital eccentricity of the Moon?
3.
MULTIPLE CHOICE QUESTION
1 min • 1 pt
Which diagram shows a planet with the least eccentric orbit?
Tags
NGSS.MS-ESS1-2
4.
MULTIPLE CHOICE QUESTION
1 min • 1 pt
What is the maximum eccentricity an ellipse can be?
5.
MULTIPLE CHOICE QUESTION
1 min • 1 pt
Calculate the eccentricity for the following orbit.
Tags
NGSS.MS-ESS1-2
6.
MULTIPLE CHOICE QUESTION
1 min • 1 pt
If an orbit has an eccentricity value of "0", what shape is it?
7.
MULTIPLE CHOICE QUESTION
1 min • 1 pt
What is eccentricity?
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