Heliocentric vs. Geocentric, pre-Newton, Exercises of Physics

Download Heliocentric vs. Geocentric, pre-Newton and more Exercises Physics in PDF only on Docsity! Q1 Test 1 Study Guide 1 Heliocentric vs. Geocentric, pre-Newton Reading: In-Class Test on Friday, Aug 10 Nature of Science 1. Scientific statements must be falsifiable. Define falsifiable. Explain the difference between falsifiable and false. 2. Give an example of two things that are falsifiable, but not false. State one testable hypothesis for each. 3. What must scientists do with a hypothesis when (repeated) tests do not match the hypothesis’s testable predictions? 4. Explain how scientists can gain confidence in their hypotheses. Can a hypothesis ever be proven true? 5. State the Cosmological Principle. Is the Cosmological Principle falsifiable? Is it necessarily true? Explain your answers. Daily Celestial Motions 1. Define the following: equator, latitude, horizon 2. Describe or sketch the apparent motions of the stars during the course of a night as seen from Chandler when looking in each of the four cardinal directions (N, S, E, W). 3. Describe how to find the North Celestial Pole by watching the motions of the stars throughout the night. 4. Describe how to locate Polaris (the north star) from Chandler, AZ. Where in the sky (what direction) should you look? (You can see Polaris on a clear night; it’s the bright star at the end of the little dipper.) 5. Describe the relationship between a location’s latitude and the direction of the North Celestial Pole at that location. 6. Draw a picture of the Earth surrounded by the (fictional) celestial sphere and label the following: North and South Poles, Equator, North and South Celestial Poles, Celestial equator. 7. Is the North Celestial Pole a location, or a direction? On your picture, draw an arrow representing the North Celestial Pole as observed from different locations on Earth. 8. What is the celestial sphere? From the motions of the stars – as visible to the naked eye – can we tell whether the celestial sphere is fact or fiction? Explain your answer. Annual Celestial Motions & Seasons 1. Explain the difference between daily celestial motions and annual celestial motions. Give examples of each. Which are caused by the rotation of the Earth around its axis? Which are caused by the Earth’s orbit around the Sun? 2. Describe how the positions of the constellations in the night sky change during the year. Are they the same or different during different seasons? Does each constellation rise earlier or later each night? 3. Write an explanation or draw a picture to explain how the changes in the constellations that are seen during the year are caused by the Earth’s orbit around the Sun. 4. Describe how the position of the Sun in the sky changes during the course of the year. When during the year is the Sun north of the Celestial Equator, when it is south of it? Q1 Test 1 Study Guide 2 5. Define the ecliptic. Sketch the ecliptic and the Celestial Equator on a diagram of the celestial sphere. 6. When during the year are the days the longest? The shortest? 7. Describe two reasons why it is hotter in the summer than in the winter. (Hint: The Earth is actually slightly closer to the Sun during the winter.) 8. Draw a figure showing the motion of the Earth around the Sun. Label the equinoxes and solstices and describe what is special about each. (Don’t forget to indicate the tilt of the Earth’s axis.) 9. Describe how the Sun’s apparent motion throughout the year is explained in the geocentric model and in the heliocentric model. Planetary Motions 1. Describe how ancient astronomers identified the planets. How were they different from the stars? 2. Describe the Geocentric model of the Solar System. How are the apparent motions of the Sun and Stars explained in this model? 3. Describe the Heliocentric model of the Solar System. How are the apparent motions of the Sun and Stars explained in this model? 4. Describe the contributions of each of the following people to understanding planetary motions: Ptolemy, Copernicus, Galileo 5. Describe the retrograde motion of a planet. 6. How are retrograde motions explained in the geocentric model? What is an epicycle? 7. How are retrograde motions explained in the heliocentric model? (A picture might help.) 8. Explain the difference between retrograde motion and epicycles. Which is an observation? Which is part of a model? 9. When Copernicus published On the Revolutions of the Heavenly Spheres, did astronomical data favor one model (Heliocentric or Geocentric) over the other? Why did Copernicus prefer the Heliocentric model? 10. State Occam’s razor and then explain what it means. Explain what the word simpler mean in the context of Occam’s razor. Stellar parallax 1. Define parallax and describe the relationship between parallax and the distance to an object. 2. Draw a picture to explain the relationship between parallax and the distance to an object. 3. Did ancient astronomers understand the idea of parallax? Could they observe stellar parallax? 4. Explain why the lack of observed stellar parallaxes was an argument against a Heliocentric solar system. 5. Describe why modern astronomers can observe stellar parallax while ancient astronomers could not. (What technological advance made observing stellar parallax possible?)