Let's analyze the given planetary data and complete the statements based on our observations.
[tex]\[
\begin{array}{|c|c|c|}
\hline
& A (\text{au}) & T (\text{yr}) \\
\hline
\text{Mercury} & 0.39 & 0.242 \\
\hline
\text{Venus} & 0.72 & 0.616 \\
\hline
\text{Earth} & 1 & 1 \\
\hline
\text{Mars} & 1.52 & 1.88 \\
\hline
\text{Jupiter} & \multicolumn{2}{|c|}{\text{(To be interpolated later in the activity.)}} \\
\hline
\text{Saturn} & \multicolumn{2}{|c|}{} \\
\hline
\text{Uranus} & 19.18 & 84.0 \\
\hline
\text{Neptune} & 30.06 & 165 \\
\hline
\end{array}
\][/tex]
Given this data:
1. To determine the relationship between the distance from the sun (measured in astronomical units, au) and the orbital period (measured in Earth years, yr), we observe that the closer a planet is to the sun, the shorter its orbital period.
2. Specifically, the planets Mercury and Venus are closer to the sun than Earth is, and as a result, their orbital periods are shorter than Earth's orbit.
3. Conversely, the pattern shows that the further a planet is from the sun, the longer its orbit is.
Thus, we can fill in the blanks as follows:
- Mercury and Venus are [tex]\(\boxed{\text{closer}}\)[/tex] to the sun than Earth is.
- So, their orbital periods are [tex]\(\boxed{\text{shorter}}\)[/tex] than Earth's orbit.
- The further a planet is from the sun, the [tex]\(\boxed{\text{longer}}\)[/tex] its orbit is.
