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Science!

Science!. Overview. Definitions: The Scientific Method Hypothesis Theory Epicycles Geocentric Heliocentric Ellipse Focus Major/Semi-Major axis Minor/Semi-Minor axis Orbital Period Orbital Velocity. Overview. What is Science? What makes a hypothesis valid?

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Science!

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  1. Science!

  2. Overview • Definitions: • The Scientific Method • Hypothesis • Theory • Epicycles • Geocentric • Heliocentric • Ellipse • Focus • Major/Semi-Major axis • Minor/Semi-Minor axis • Orbital Period • Orbital Velocity

  3. Overview • What is Science? • What makes a hypothesis valid? • When does Theory become Fact? • Our Model of the Solar System – A history • What are the Models? • What Observation Broke Each Model? • Aristotle – Crystaline Spheres • Ptolemy – Epicycles • Copernicus – Heliocentric Circles • Kepler – Three Laws of orbital motion

  4. Course Goals What is Science? What is modern astronomy? What do we know about the Universe? How do we know what we know?

  5. Why Study Science? Because we are Curious! So we can think for ourselves. Because it is our Civic Duty

  6. Science Science: The application of the Scientific Method to the natural world. Scientific Method: Rigorous investigation involving careful observation, the formulation of hypotheses, and experimentation to test those hypotheses. Astronomy: The scientific investigation of astronomical phenomena.

  7. The Scientific Method

  8. Scientific Hypothesis I have a Hypothesis! It’s valid because it’s Falsifiable!

  9. Scientific Theory It’s justa theory! Scientific theory is not mere conjecture. Theory: A valid hypothesis backed by experimental evidence.

  10. Missing Keys Two Hypothesis: Absent Minded Time Gnomes Which is valid? What is the Test?

  11. Ancient Greece First to create theoretical models of nature

  12. A Hypothesis The heavens are perfect and unchanging. ~Aristotle Geocentric: A model of the Solar system with the Earth in the center. Celestial objects are embedded in Crystal Spheres. Each Sphere rotates around us at a Fixed Rate What is the Test?

  13. Scientific Models The power of a model… Is in it’s ability to Predict!

  14. Except… The crystal spheres can’t explain Retrograde Motion

  15. The Ptolemaic Model Epicycle: A small circle, the center of which moves on the circumference of a larger circle at whose center is the earth Ptolomey's Geocentric Universe Epicycles! Now with Celestial objects are embedded in Crystal Spheres.

  16. An Alternative Model Heliocentric: A model of the Solar system with the Sun in the center. • Sun centered model, 1543 • Simple retrograde solution • Simple orbital period calculation • Position predictions still inaccurate. Nicholas Copernicus

  17. Scientific Models With equal predictive power… Two Models Which one is True?

  18. ABCD How can we absolutely choose between competing theories that make equally accurate predictions? A. The least complex is correct. B. The scientist with the most prestige wins. C.A vote is held by the Central Science Committee. D. There is no way to choose.

  19. New Observations Tycho Brahe Took 2 decades worth of naked eye planet observations Accuracy to within 1 minute of arc

  20. Theory Johannes Kepler • A student of Tycho • Studied Tycho’s data • Discovered three empirical relationships • Believed Copernicus • Suggested that the Sun exerts a force on the planets.

  21. Kepler’s 1st Law Orbits are ellipses

  22. Kepler’s Second Law Kepler’s 2nd Law: A line joining a planet and the Sun sweeps out equal areas during equal intervals of time.

  23. What? Kepler’s 2nd Law: A line joining a planet and the Sun sweeps out equal areas during equal intervals of time. Which is true? Fast a Perihelion, Slow at Aphelion Slow at Perihelion, Fast at Aphelion Same speed Why? Make an argument.

  24. Kepler’s 2nd Law If: TP = TA Then: AP = AA

  25. Kepler’s 2nd Law: What? If: AP= AA And: Hp< HA Then: Dp > DA And: Vp > VA

  26. Kepler’s3rdLaw P2 = a3 a = Semi-major axis P = Orbital Period Orbital Period: The time required to complete one orbit.

  27. What is an Orbit? The knack lies in learning how to throw yourself at the ground and miss. ~Arthur Dent

  28. ABCD When must a Scientific Theory die? A. When the people who believe it die. B. When enough scientists think that it should die. C. Popular Vote. D. When it makes predictions that don’t agree with nature.

  29. The End of Geocentrism … ?

  30. Mountains and Sunspots

  31. Moons of Jupiter

  32. Phases of Venus

  33. The Rise of Modern Physics • Isaac Newton • Three laws of motion • Universal Gravitation • The Calculus Simple central principals from which all motion, either on Earth or in the heavens, can be derived.

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