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Difficulty: MediumThe Solar System and Planets

Planets in our solar system vary significantly in physical scale, ranging from compact rocky bodies to immense gas giants. Arrange the following planets in order of their equatorial diameter, from smallest to largest.

  1. 1Mercury
  2. 2Mars
  3. 3Earth
  4. 4Saturn

Answer

Mercury, Mars, Earth, Saturn
Mercury is the smallest planet in the solar system with a diameter of about 4,879 km. Mars follows with a diameter of about 6,779 km. Earth is the largest rocky planet at approximately 12,742 km, and Saturn is a massive gas giant with an equatorial diameter of about 116,464 km.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Identify the physical size (equatorial diameter) of each listed planet.
Mercury is ~4,879 km, Mars is ~6,779 km, Earth is ~12,742 km, and Saturn is ~116,464 km.
Establishing the physical dimensions of each body provides the exact metric required for size sequencing.
2
Order the terrestrial (rocky) planets from smallest to largest.
Mercury is smaller than Mars, and Mars is smaller than Earth (Mercury < Mars < Earth).
Mercury is the smallest of all eight planets, while Earth is the largest of the inner terrestrial group.
3
Place the outer gas giant at the end of the sequence.
Saturn is substantially larger than all inner terrestrial planets combined.
Gas giants possess extensive gaseous envelopes that yield diameters an order of magnitude larger than terrestrial bodies.
4
Synthesize the complete sequence in ascending order.
The correct sequence from smallest to largest diameter is Mercury, Mars, Earth, Saturn.
This orders the planetary diameters systematically from 4,879 km up to 116,464 km.

Key Concept

Relative physical dimensions and classifications of terrestrial planets and gas giants
Estimated Time:45s
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Topics

The Solar System and Planets

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