They both have a cycle that repeats itself. In the Ferris Wheel, this is rotation of the wheel and with Mars, this is the orbit of Mars. These actions repeat, a critical aspect of any periodic relationship. Each cycle can also be completed in the same amount of time. On the Ferris Wheel this is true because the wheel travels the same area at a constant speed for each cycle. Mars’ orbit is always exactly 1 Martian year, or 687 days (on Earth). Furthermore, this cycle repeats. On a Ferris Wheel, passengers go around multiple times while on Mars has orbited and will (probably) continue to orbit the Sun for billions of years. Moreover, these both have constant maximum and minimum values. This can be shown on the Ferris Wheel as the wheel does not move between cycles and has a constant maximum and minimum height. Mars has an aphelion and perihelion that is has passed and will continue to pass through every (Martian) year. This because these point, partially their distances away from the Sun are the same each year, Mars has the same maximum and minimum values each cycle it goes through. These similarities between the common periodic phenomenon of the Ferris Wheel and the orbit of Mars show how this scenario can be accurately modeled as a periodic …show more content…
First, there were limitations in the available data. The distance between Mars and the Sun could only be found at some points. This means that there is not 100% certainty that this model is periodic. The model also does not predict changes in Mars’ orbit and, as such, will not be eternally accurate. These changes could come from many sources, including humans intervention, asteroids, and the gravitational pull of other planets. These can disrupt Mars’ orbit in such a way that the model would be inaccurate. Additionally, Mars has not existed for eternity and will not continue to exist for eternity. At any time that Mars does not exist this model is (obviously) inaccurate. As the orbit of Mars changes, this model will become more and more inaccurate. However, because of the immense mass of Mars and thus the immense momentum, most of these changes will be unlikely or minor enough to not significantly impact the accuracy of this model on the human time scale. Any human interaction or asteroid that is large enough to make a significant impact on the orbit of Mars is extremely unlikely, and other planets will change Mars’ orbit over an extremely long period of time. Ultimately, this model will remain accurate over a human time scale, as long as outside forces do not inflict drastic change on Mars’