Online reading assignment question: opinions on Pluto

Astronomy 210 Reading Assignments 14-16, Spring Semester 2010
Cuesta College, San Luis Obispo, CA

Students have a weekly online reading assignment (hosted by SurveyMonkey.com). Full credit is given for completing the online reading assignment before next week's lecture, regardless if whether their answers are correct/incorrect.

(The following question was asked subsequent to, and then again following the lecture discussing the International Astronomical Union classification scheme of moons/satellites, solar system debris, dwarf planets, and planets, which included a group in-class activity.)

I believe Pluto should be a planet. (Graded for completion.)
(SD) Strongly disagree.
(D) Disagree.
(N) Neutral.
(A) Agree.
(SA) Strongly agree.

Student responses (pre-instruction)
Sections 30674, 30676
(SD) : 6 students
(D) : 11 students
(N) : 28 students
(A) : 23 students
(SA) : 25 students

Student responses (post-instruction)
Sections 30674, 30676
(SD) : 13 students
(D) : 22 students
(N) : 25 students
(A) : 17 students
(SA) : 10 students

Of the 94 students who had answered the pre-instruction question, and the 87 students who had answered the post-instruction question, 70 students had answered both the pre-instruction and post-instruction questions (while 24 students answered only the pre-instruction, and 17 students only answered the post-instruction question).

Of the 70 students who answered both the pre-instruction and post-instruction questions, 32 students had no change in their opinion, while 38 students changed their opinion.

Student responses (pre-and post-instruction responders, no change in opinion, N = 32)
Sections 70158, 70160
(SD) : 3 students
(D) : 3 students
(N) : 13 students
(A) : 9 students
(SA) : 4 students

Student responses (pre-and post-instruction responders, change in opinion, N = 38)
Sections 70158, 70160
(SD) : pre: 2 students; post: 6 students
(D) : pre: 4 students; post: 15 students
(N) : pre: 10 students; post: 7 students
(A) : pre: 11 students; post: 6 students
(SA) : pre: 11 students; post: 4 students

A Student t-test on all 70 students who answered both the pre-and post-instruction questions (32 students with no change in their opinion together with the 38 students that changed their opinion) results in p = 0.0073, and thus there is a statistically significant difference between pre-and post-instruction responses.

For the students who took both and responded differently to the pre-and post-instruction questions, here were the shifts:

(SD) to (A): 1 student
(SD) to (SA): 1 student
(D) to (SD): 3 students
(D) to (A): 1 student
(N) to (SD): 1 student
(N) to (D): 7 students
(N) to (A): 1 student
(N) to (SA): 1 student
(A) to (SD): 1 student
(A) to (D): 3 students
(A) to (N): 5 students
(A) to (SA): 2 students
(SA) to (SD): 1 student
(SA) to (D): 5 students
(SA) to (N): 2 students
(SA) to (A): 3 students

"Negative shifts" in opinion (e.g., towards disagreement): 31 students
"Positive shifts" in opinion (e.g., towards agreement): 7 students
(Compare with the 32 students with no shifts in opinion.)

It appears that there is a greater shift towards negative opinions towards Pluto being a planet in this small population sample, as the students that changed their mind were apparently affected by a single lecture on the IAU classification scheme, and on the historical (re)definitions of planets and changing numbers of planets.

Students were given the opportunity to explain their pre-instruction opinion, responses are listed below verbatim.

Briefly explain your answer to the previous question (whether Pluto should be a planet). (Graded for completion.)

"dont have an answer"

"just cause"

"they can't just take his title away thats just mean"

"if pluto not long ago was a planet, then why remove it from the solar system as a planet"

"we have enough"

"well its been classified as a planet for like forever soo i think they should just keep it that way"

"its more just a chunk of ice"

"because pluto and i go way back."

"Now we have to come up with new things to tell our children so they can remember the plants!"

"we can't just disregard her after we already named her a planet. that's like giving someone a present and then taking it back. rude."

"i really liked pluto."

"Im not sure"

"I don't really care about classifications like 'planets.' It all goes around the sun."

"pluto has a very thin atmosphere."

"I dont know...I just LOVE it!!"

"because it is"

"because goofy IS a dog who owns a dog named pluto and he's treated unjustly, then all of the sudden this planet is treated unjustly because of his name and is no long a planet. We need to leave all plutos alone."

"Becuase pluto is wack!...Pluto cannot hang with the rest of the planets."

"It's been considered a planet for a very long time, and now all of a sudden scientists want to change it."

"its located in our milky way galaxy"

"because its big!"

"A Dwarf Human is a Human, so a Dwarf Planet is a Planet."

"Because at on point on it's journey around the sun it is closer to the sum than Neptune."

"because it always has been"

"it doesn't really fit in with the rest of the outer planets"

"Because the whole debate for Pluto's 'planet' status being revoked is based on a trivial definition of what a planet is."

"I don't know enough about it!"

"Ever since i have gone to school it has been called a planet so i don't understand why things have changed"

"I haven't gotten that far in my reading yet."

"not a planet due to it's large orbital tilt and eccentricity."

"Beacuase it was always was a planet, why change now?"

"I dont really have an opinion."

"It's part of the Kiper Belt outside of our solar system, but it will occasionally enter the solar system."

"because i like mickeys dog"

"I like the idea of Pluto being a planet, because it's been one every since I can remember. Not having it as a planet is like telling me that a little piece of my universe is suddenly false..."

"But I guess if 'They' deem it not a planet, then we have to deal..."

"I feel bad, its left out."

"I would have to concur with the International Astronomical Union. A planet is defined as a celestial body that orbits around the sun, has sufficient mass to maintain hydrostatic equilibrium and has cleared the area around its orbit. Due to the fact that Pluto's orbit is irregular and Pluto's gravity is just large enough to have pulled it into a spherical shape, but not enough to clear out its orbit."

"I don't know enough to call it a planet or not."

"pluto is the best says Grandma"

"its in our galaxy"

"it is too small to maintain a orbit correctly"

"I don't care."

"Technically pluto should not be a a planet but growing up it was definitly taught to be a planet, and i think 'once a planet always a planet'"

"Because it was a planet for so long!"

"I think it has been proven that Pluto is not a planet and is rather somehting else,it is not an opinion or belief."

"its just a moon from other planets"

"Pluto should do what it wants its a big boy now."

"I only agree because it was taught to us You can't unteach what was engraved in a childs mind. It's just cruel."

"I dont know enough about it to know if it qualifies as a planet. I learned about it as a planet growing up though so I think it should stay a planet."

"Planet!? Pluto is Mickey's dog!!!!"

"I dont really care"

"its an ice cube not a planet"

"it just should"

"Because 'My Very Elegant Mother Just Served Us Nine....' just doesn't make sense"

"i was always taught that pluto was a planet, but now that it isn't considered a planet anymore, i don't really care."

"Because it was a planet earlier"

"I don't disagree or agree because Eris exists beyond Pluto, therefore the definition of a planet had to be questioned. This was the conclusion astronomers reached."

"I agree because when I was little I always associated Pluto with the planets"

"because you can't toy with my childhood like that"

"I'm not certified or educated enough to make a statement in deciding if Pluto is a planet or not.
because plutos my dawg just like p-dawg"

"i think its unfair that it was and now its not a planet but i kinda of dont mind it either way.."

"Because it's pluto! Duh!"

"im not sure if it should be a planet or not."

"since its neither Jovian or terrestrial yet it has 3 moons and is so cold and far. it mAKEs this planet very unique to our solor system, just because we dont understand its clause doesnt mean its not around for a purpose."

"it's cool like that."

"I am intersted in learning more about it"

"its close to the other planets in our solar system"

"how could it not be?"

"whether pluto is considered a planet or not should not really be that important."

"it was a 'planet' for years, why not eep it that way. the astrological signs are all off by a month but they didnt change that up for the public"

"All im saying is give the guy a little break. i mean he is a planet. then hes not. then he is. now hes not. hes been though a lot and needs to know that he is indeed a planet. telling him may hurt his feelings. plus you know that song that you learned when learning the planets. now thats all screwed up. SAVE PLUTO!"

"Just because it's nostalgic to what we've been taught in elementary school does not make it scientifically accurate. There are also similar Kuiper belt objects that need to be included as planets if we accept Pluto."

"Because I've grown up thinking it's been a planet and now they just change their minds?!! Just because it's a "dwarf plantet" It throws me off ! Why! Now students will have to be more creative when learning the planets and how their very excellent mother didn't bring them pizza after all!"

"It should still be considered part of the Kuiper belt."

"because i was taught when i was little that it was a planet."

"science says that pluto is not massive enough to be considered a planet but instead a star"

"I feel bad for it"

"Pluto should be a planet because it orbits the sun, and has 3 known moons orbiting around it as well. It doesn't fall into our solar system like meteors or comets do, with the only exception being its switch with Neptune every once in a while due to its irregular orbit. Therefore, it cannot be an object in the Kuiper Belt, and should be classified as a planet. This whole "8 planet solar system" thing is stupid."

"Pluto is a body that revolves around the sun. that means its mass is big enough to be a planet. scientists are full of crap"

"doesn't matter to me, just seems confusing that it changed."

"I don't really know if pluto should be a planet or not..."

"i don't really know what pluto is made of/how it was made and i don't really care whether it's a planet or not"

"because it is generally like all other planets"

"because i said so."

"cuz its gangster"

"Its okay, pluto. I'm not a planet either"

"everyone hsa feelings for pluto!"

"It doesn't fit all of the requirements"

"Because it needs respect!"

"why not?"

"As much as I would like Pluto to be a planet, it is not. It has a different orbit than the rest of the planets around the sun. Plus, there have been other objects, like Pluto, that also ordit the sun in this fashion and are not called planets. Why should Pluto be treated any differently?"

"I am not into astronomy enough to answer with an opinion."

"because there are other same size planet like masses orbiting in the same area."

Students were later given the opportunity to explain their post-instruction opinion, responses are listed below verbatim.

Briefly explain your answer to the previous question (whether Pluto should be a planet). (Graded for completion.)

"because of the rules of to be a planet pluto doesnt meet the last one"

"it was"

"The current classification is suitable."

"It doesnt meet the current classifications of a planet."

"It does not meet the requirements to be one. ( sorry pluto)"

"Pluto is very Icy and it does not dominate its orbits"

"just cause i love it...who cares if it doesnt dominate its orbit"

"Because it was once considered a planet.....it's not cool to now change our minds and say it isn't one."

"After knowing the guidelines to be a planet according to the IAU rules, Pluto does not fit the requirements."

"i think it should cuz it pretty much dominates its orbit"

"Pluto is not a planet because it does not meet all of criteria for it to be a planet. In the case of Pluto, it does not dominate it's orbit, so it should not be a planet."

"if it was a plant before then it should still be a planet now. what if someone told you that you can no longer be human"

"I think the IAU's classification is good enough. If it's classified as a planet, then I'd be happy. But it seems that if it doesn't dominate its orbit, it's not spiffy enough to be a planet. I'm satissfied with it being a Dwarf Planet for the moment."

"i agree with the fact that pluto doesn't qualify"

"I really do not care. It seems irrelevant to my life, UNLESS... it turns into a death planet like in that episode of Invader Zim :o"

"technically its still a planet...but a dwarf planet LoL"

"The only reason is because it has always been a planet and things would be easier if it where."

"What good would it do if Pluto is a planet?"

"It doesn't fit the qualifications, but if the standards change, then so should Pluto's status."

"Because it was a planet earlier"

"The IAU's classification suits me."

"It has always been a planet since I was a kid so i do not see why the change it now."

"I don't think it meets the requirements but it has a cool name so I'm neutral."

"because there are a bunch of other "planets" like pluto, so if pluto was going to be a planet then the rest of them would have to be planets as well. not okay with me!"

"It's not important"

"it is in our solar system"

"Because it doesn't dominate its orbit."

"Because if it isnt big enough to dominates its orbit if it was switched with another from the belt, it would not be classified as a planet."

"If pluto was a planet, then we would have like, 8 more planets, and I really don't want to memorize more planets..."

"Pluto doesn't clear it's orbit anymore"

"Um. I dont really care."

"Pluto should not be a planet because it does not dominate its orbit as in the IAU rules."

"I do not have enough of an interest in Astronomy to support my opinion."

"it does not hold the capabilities to serve as a planet."

"why not man"

"you can't just strip little pluto of his planetary title. its rude."

"it's weird that it was considered a planet and now it's not. they should just keep it in there."

"It was considered a planet and then it wasn't. I think it should be one because everyone thinks it is."

"then too many objects in the night sky would have to be"

"It doesn't fit the internationally accepted rules for a planet"

"because there are ton of other planets and objects in the kuiper belt... thats unfair for the other objects in the belt."

"I really like Pluto."

"Because there are many more even larger dwarf planets floating around out there, and we dont want tooo many planets"

"Pluto should not be a planet because it does not fit the profile of a planet."

"Since the planet pluto is within our solar system the "milky way" then it should be considered a planet"

"A Dwarf Planet is still a planet much like a Dwarf Human is still a Human!"

"Because pluto still dominates it's orbit around the sun."

"because it was for so long and they just took it away"

"It doesn't have all the qualities that make up a planet."

"It does not dominate it's orbit."

"Because it has always been in every other science class"

"Because it is so dang confusing when you keep changing it. Poor Pluto must be having an identity crisis!"

"Dont really care either way"

"I think the three rules for planets are good."

"Because it does not meet the requirements of the IAU. It does not meet the specific requirement of dominating its own orbit."

"Dont really know enough about it."

"because i grew up with that!"

"Its in our solar system so it should be a planet"

"Based off the new classification system it should not be a planet."

"We'd have to name too many other dwarf planets to be planets if pluto was still considered a planet."

"Pluto ahs been proven to not be a planet"

"I dont think so since its a moon from Uranus"

"There is a dog named after it so why not keep it a planet?"

"I dont really care."

"it feels sad its left out"

"it is all gas"

"My very eager mother just served us nine..... PIZZAS!"

"now after learning the qualifications for a planet i am ok with pluto not being one."

"Pluto does not fit into the 3rd category of be qualified to be considered a planet. This is not having dominance over it's own orbit."

"Pluto should not be a planet because if it were considered a planet then there would be over 100 planets in our solar system."

"i dunno if Pluto should really be a planet."

"because it does not answer yes to all the questions"

"just because its a different color or temp doesnt mean it shouldnt be a planet"

"it was a 'planet' for such a long time in everyone's eyes. might as well keep it a planet"

"No domination of orbit"

"Pluto doesn't dominate it's orbit!"

"was a planet for most of my life, why change?"

"Used to for so long it being a planet, so why now does it have to change"

"I'm currently neutral on the subject of Pluto being a planet or not. I grew up learning that Pluto was a planet, and it always held an air of mystery about itself because it was the planet furthest from the sun, which had a different orbit than the rest of planets, and I was always fascinated by Pluto and Neptune switching places in our solar system due to Pluto's odd orbit around the sun. However, Pluto is neither terrestrial or jovian, and other Kuiper Belt objects are similar to its composition. So yes, I will always consider Pluto as a planet, but I also understand why it isn't."

"Plutos g"

"It doesn't matter to me"

"Doesnt dominate orbit"

"call pluto an astroid. it starts acting like one!"

"It would just be so sad to get rid of it as a planet after I grew up believing it was a planet."

"because i like pluto"

"well im not truely sure"

"Its hard to change what i've been taught for so long"

"I thought it was a dog"

"its large enough and is still trapped in the suns gravitational pull causing it to have an orbit"

References:

• Brother Guy Consolmagno, SJ, "What Happened to Pluto?," Astronomy Education Review, vol. 45, no. x, p. 14 (2007).
  (http://dx.doi.org/10.1119/1.2409503)
  "...So in the ultimate sense, what happened to Pluto? ...As a planet, Pluto had always been something of an ugly duckling. But as a newly defined 'dwarf'--a fascinating and important category of solar system objects that until recently we never even knew existed--it's a beautiful swan."


• Andrew Fraknoi, "Teaching What a Planet Is: A Roundtable on the
  Educational Implications of the New Definition of a Planet," Astronomy Education Review, vol. 5, no. 2, p. 226 (2007).
  (http://dx.doi.org/10.3847/AER2006028)
  "Readers of the Astronomy Education Review are often the ones on the front lines of our educational system, teaching students, meeting with planetarium and museum audiences, and responding to media requests for information. Given all the hoopla about the new definition of a planet in our Solar System by the International Astronomical Union (IAU) at its meeting in Prague in August 2006, we thought it might be interesting to gather a cross-section of reactions from noted astronomy educators and then invite our readers to voice their opinions."


• James L. Hilton, "When Did the Asteroids Become Minor Planets?"
  (http://aa.usno.navy.mil/hilton/AsteroidHistory/minorplanets.html)
  "The recent controversy over whether Pluto should be given a minor planet number and possibly be demoted from the ranks of the major planets has made me wonder about the similar controversy that occurred 150 years ago. This involved whether or not the bodies discovered between Mars and Jupiter should be considered equal to the seven other planets known at that time."


• David Jewitt & Jane X. Luu, "Pluto, Perception & Planetary Politics" Daedalus, vol. 136, no. 1, p. 132 (2007).
  (http://www.mitpressjournals.org/doi/abs/10.1162/daed.2007.136.1.132?journalCode=daed)
  "...one cannot buy the level of public interest that has been triggered by the planethood debate. The IAU and astronomers everywhere have the potential to use this interest to focus the public toward more fundamental, more scientific issues, such as the origin of the solar system and even the nature and purpose of science... Let's hope that what ultimately comes out of the planethood debate is a better understanding of what science is about, rather than hollow mourning for the Icy Body Formerly Known as a Planet."


• Michael C. LoPresto, "A First Glimpse of Student Attitudes about Pluto's 'Demotion'," Astronomy Education Review, vol. 5, no. 2, p. 226 (2007).
  (http://dx.doi.org/10.3847/AER2006029)
  "I asked two sections of introductory astronomy students whether they thought that Pluto should still be considered a planet and to write down why. I asked them specifically to vote yes, no, do not know, or do not care.
        "The results were that 26 of 46 students, almost 57%, voted that Pluto should still be considered a planet; only six (about 13%) voted against Pluto, nine (just under 20%), said that they did not know, and five (almost 11%) said that they did not care.
        "The poll was administered a second time, also unannounced, to 42 students after coverage of the Solar System in the course. This time, 27 students, a 64% majority, agreed with the decision. Among these, 17 said that their opinion had changed based on what they learned in class. A total of 10 students, almost 24%, remained against the decision. Two students said that said they still did not know, and three still did not care."