¶ … Earth Revolves Around the Sun
Is this idea/theory/episode/question an example of scientific activity? Why or why not?
It's important to bear in mind that the philosophers of hundreds of years ago didn't always believe that the Earth revolved around the sun. Many of these thinkers believed that the sun revolved around the Earth and that the Earth was the center of the universe -- with the sun and all the stars and planets revolving around it. However, the complicated movement of the sun made this a very difficult theory to support. "The Sun, however, does not merely rise in the east and set in the west. You can see for yourself that the Sun only rises directly in the east on the equinoxes: at all other times of the year, it rises in the northeast (summer) or southeast (winter). Also, the Sun moves with respect to the stars: the Sun wanders through the 12 constellations of the zodiac, coming back to its starting point after 1 year" (ucsb.edu). Thus, because the sun was making such a complicated movement, these ancient people were forced to create a very confusing model of the earth revolving around the sun. Ultimately, they discovered, that the motions of the sun could be understood very simply by the Earth moving on a tilted axis once a day and the earth orbiting the sun once a year (ucsb.edu). This entire process is an example of scientific activity as it demonstrates the creation of a theory, intense observation and then the revision of a theory.
The theory that the Earth revolves around the sun is actually an episode of scientific activity. This belief is founded on evidence; even though for a long time, many notable astronomers only believed that the earth revolved around the sun, but had very little to go on (Cuk, 2002). For instance, the astronomer, Aristarchus believed that the Earth goes around the sun, once it was found that the sun is much bigger...
The Moon is believed by many to have been part of the earth and that it was tore off as a result of an initial spin that was too great to hold the planet together. One of the prevailing theories was that involving an impact of large magnitude involving the newly formed Earth and a giant object of the size of Mars hitting Earth and blowing up material that
Metric System -- One of the reasons measurement can be complicated is that there is more than one system in use. Based on the Ancient Roman system, the metric system is based on powers of 10; which is called decimalization. The metric system has been the preferred European and scientific method of measuring sine the 18th century, but is not part of the International System of Units, which is also
(Source: http://csep10.phys.utk.edu/astr161/lect/history/newtongrav.html). Assignment 2-1 -- a- Radiation may be considered information from space; different types of information from different sources. These are: 1) Light as a wave and particle, 2) Electromagnetism, 3) Cosmic Rays and 4) Ultraviolet radiation. Part 2-1-B- Light may be measured by telescopes; other space radiation by radio waves; x-ray machines may absorb cosmic and x-ray energy. Part 2-1-C- Stars and Planets emit electromagnetic; Sun emits UV, Electromagnetic and
History Of Theory Behind Curriculum Development The evolution of curriculum theory by and large reflects the current of thought found in the academic-political landscape. The essence of the ancient maxim cuius regio, eius religio applies here: who reigns, his religion. In this case, who reigns, his curriculum. This has been true throughout all the centuries where education was deemed important by a group of individuals or a State. For example, in
What they had regarded as the most certain of all theories turned out to be in need of serious revision. In reaction, they resolved never again to bestow their faith in scientific truth unconditionally. Skepticism, not certainty, became their watchword. (ibid) The implication of Kuhn's work was that science was seen to be dependent on history. It was no longer superior to historical analysis but could only be understood within the
The Ptolemaic model was accepted by most philosophers of note until it was radically challenged by the Polish astronomer Copernicus in 1530. The Catholic church condemned the Copernican System in 1616 and forbade holding, defending, or even teaching alternatives to the Ptolemaic conception of the universe endorsed by the Church (Fowler 2008:10). But both theories were mere conjecture until the development of the Galilean telescope. Galileo's telescope was a
Our semester plans gives you unlimited, unrestricted access to our entire library of resources —writing tools, guides, example essays, tutorials, class notes, and more.
Get Started Now