# State TWO differences between a planet and a minor planet in our Solar System, and for each difference, explain what this tells us about the object's gravitational field.

> Cambridge International IGCSE Physics (0625) — 6.1 Earth and the Solar System · State and Explain · 4 marks

## Mark scheme (4 marks)

1. A planet has a gravitational field strong enough to pull in all nearby objects / clear its orbital neighbourhood, whereas a minor planet does not.
2. This shows that a planet's gravitational field is stronger / has greater reach than that of a minor planet.
3. A planet is a sphere / has a roughly spherical shape, whereas a minor planet (e.g. an asteroid or dwarf planet) is not necessarily spherical / may be irregularly shaped.
4. A spherical shape indicates the planet's gravitational field is strong enough to pull all its matter evenly inward / into a sphere, whereas the minor planet's weaker gravitational field cannot do this.

## Key terms

- [planet](https://www.gradenine.co.uk/glossary/planet)
- [minor planet](https://www.gradenine.co.uk/glossary/minor-planet)
- [gravitational field](https://www.gradenine.co.uk/glossary/gravitational-field)

## Related

- [Revision notes for Cambridge International IGCSE Physics (0625)](https://www.gradenine.co.uk/learn)
- [How to answer "State and Explain" questions](https://www.gradenine.co.uk/tools/command-word-cheatsheet)
- [Practice this with AI marking (free)](https://www.gradenine.co.uk/start)

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Source: [GradeNine](https://www.gradenine.co.uk/q/state-two-differences-between-a-planet-6bc77a36) · Published by Druglandscape Ltd.