Chapter 3 Notes Jessica Brandon

Chapter 3 the science of astronomy

1.     In what ways do all humans employ scientific thinking?

·      Scientific thinking is based on everyday ideas of observation and trial and error experiences.

·       in keeping track of time and season

·      For practical purposes include agriculture

·      For religious and ceremonial purpose

·      In aiding navigation

·      ancient people of central Africa (6500 BC) could predict seasons from the orientation of the crescent moon. (Picture)

·      table 3.1 in book: days of the week were named for the sun, moon, and visible planets.

2.     What did ancient civilization achieve in astronomy?

·      Daily timekeeping

·      Tracking the seasons and calendar

·      Monitoring planets and stars

·      Predicting eclipses

·      And more....

3.     Ways others tell time

·      Egyptian obelisk: shadows tell time of day figure 3.2

·      England: Stone Age completed around 1550 B.C figure 3.3

·      Mexico: model of the templo mayor figure 3.4

·      New Mexico: Anasazi Kiva aligned north-south

·      SW United States: sun dagger marks summer solstice figure 3.5

·      Scotland: 4000 years old stone circle moon rises as shown here every 18.6 years

·      Peru: lines and patterns, some aligned with stars

·      Manchu pic chi, Peru: structure aligned with solstices

·      South Pacific: Polynesians were very skilled in the arts of celestial navigation

·      France: cave painting from 18,000 B.C. May suggest knowledge of luner phase (29 dots).

    China: earliest know records of supernova explosions (1400 B.C)

Section 3.2 Ancient Greek science

·      Our mathematical and scientific heritage originated with the civil action of the Middle East picture map

·      Artists reconstruction of the library of Alexandria

·      Why does modern science trace its roots to the Greeks?

·      *greeks were the first people known to make models of nature

·      they tired to explain patterns in nature without resorting to myths or the supernatural

·      greek geocentric

·      Special topic: Eratosthenes measure the earth

·      *Measurements syene to Alexandria distance about 5000 stadia angle is 7 degree

·      *Calculate circumference of earth7/360 X ( circum. Earth) =5000 stasis

How did the Greeks explain planetary motion?

·      *Earth at the center of the universe

·      *Heavens must be perfect objects move on perfect sphere or in perfect circle

·      Plato and Aristotle (people)

·      but this made it difficult to explain the apparent retrograde motion of planets...

·      Review: over a period of 10 weeks, mars appears to stop back up then go forward again.

·      How did Islamic scientists preserve and extend Greek science?

3.3 the coperican revolution

How did Copernicus tycoon and Kepler challenge the earth centered idea

·      *copernicus proposed the sum centered model published in 1543

·      he used the model to determine the layout of the solar system planetary distance in AU

·      *the model was no more accurate than the Ptolemaic model in predicting planetary position because it still used perfect circles.

·      *tycho Brahe 1546-1601 Brahe compiled the most accurat naked eye measurement ever made of planetary position

·      *He still could not detect stellar parallax and thus still thought earth must be ar the center of the solar system but recognized that other planets go around the sun

·      *He hired Kepler who used tychos observation to discover the truth about planetary motion

·      *Johannases Kepler 1571-1630 Kepler first tried to match tychos observation with circular orbits

·      *But an 8 arcmintue  discrepancy led him eventually to ellipses

·      *What is a ellipse? An ellipse looks like an elongated circle

What are keplers three laws of planetary motion?

·      *Keplers first law: the orbit of each planet around the sun is an ellipse with the sun at one focus

·      *Second law: as a planet moves around it orbit it sweeps out equal times

·      This means that a planet travels faster when it is nearer to the sun and slower when it is farther from the sun.

·      *Third law: more distant planets orbit the sum at slower average speeds obeying the relationship

·      *P squared = a to the third

·      P= orbital period in years

·      A= average distance from sun in AU

·      Question: an asteroid orbits the sun at an average distance a= 4 AU. How long does it take to orbit the sun?

·      Answer: 8 years

How did Galileo solidify the coperican revolution?

·      *Galileo 1564-1642 overcame major objections to the coperican view. Three key objections rooted in the Aristotelian

·      Earth could not be moving because objects in air would be left behind

·      No circular orbits are not perfect as heaven should be

·      If earth were really orbiting sun we'd detect stellar parallax

·      *Overcoming first objection Galileo experiments showed hat objects in air would stay with a moving earth

·      *Aristotle thought that all objects would come to rest

·      *Galileo showered that objects will stay in motion unless a force acts to slow them down (newtons first law)

·      Overcoming second law

·      tycho observation of comet and supernova already challenged his idea.

·      Using his telescope Galileo saw.

·      *Sunspots on the sun (imperfections)

·      *Mountains and valleys on the moon (proving it is not a perfect sphere)

·      Over coming third observation

·      *tycho thought he had measured steller distance so lack of parallax seemed to rule out orbiting earth.

·      *Galileo showed stars must be much farther then tycho thought in part by using his telescope to see that the Milky Way is countless individual stars

·      *If stars were much farther away then lack of detectable parallax was no longer so troubling

·      *Galileo also saw four moons orbiting Jupiter proving that not all objects orbit earth.

·      *Galileo observations of phases of Venus proved that is orbits the sun not earth

·      *In 1633 the Catholic Church ordered Galileo to recant his claim that earth orbits the sun

·      *His book on the subject was removed from the church index of banned books on 1824

·      *Galileo was formally vindicated by the church in 1992

Section 3.4 nature of science

How can we distinguish science from no science ?

·      *defining science can be surprisingly difficult.

·      *Science comes from the Latin scientia meaning knowledge

·      But not all knowledge comes from science.

·      *The idealized scientific method based on proposing and testing hypotheses

·      *Hypothesis= educated guess

·      *But science rarely proceeds in this idealized way for example...

·      *Sometimes we start by just looking then coming up with possible explanation

·      *Sometimes we follow our intuition rather than a particular line of evidence.

·      Hallmarks of science 1

·      Modem science seeks explanations for observed phenomena that rely on nat

·      Hallmark 2

·      Science progresses thought the creations and testing off models of nature that explain the observation as simple as possible simplicity occam razor

·      Hallmark 3

·      A scientific model must make testable prediction about natural phenomena that would focus us to revise or abandon the model if the predictions do not agree with observations

What is a scientific theory?

·      *The word theory has a different meaning in science than in everyday life.

·      *In science a theory is NOT the same as a hypothesis

·      *A scientific  theory must....

·      Explain a wide variety of observation with a simple principles

·      Be supported by a large compelling body of evidence

·      Not have failed ny crucial test of its validity

·      question: Darwin's theory of evolution meets all the criteria of a scientific theory this means....

·      Answer: after more than 100 years of testing Darwin's theory stands stronger than ever having 

Chapter 3 Quiz Allison Thompson

1. How did Copernicus, Tycho, and Kepler challenge the Earth centered model?
            - Copernicus proposed the sun was the center.
         - He used the model to determine the layout of the solar system.
         - The model was no more accurate than Ptolemaic model in prediction planetary position because it still used perfect circles.
         - Brahe compiled most accurate naked eye measurements ever made of planetary position.
         - Still could not detect stellar parallax and thus still thought earth is center of solar system.
         - Hired Kepler who used Tycho's observations to discover the truth about planetary motion.
         -Kepler first tried Tycho's observation with circular orbits.
         - But 8 arcminute discrepancy led him eventually to ellipses.
  
2.What are Kepler's three laws of planetary motion?
  1) Orbit of each planet around the sun is an ellipse with sun at one focus.
 2) As a planet moves around its orbit, it sweeps out equally in time/ area (faster near the sun, slower when away).
3) More distant planets orbit at slower average speed obeying the realtionship. (p^2=a^3)
                                       p= orbited period in years
                                       a= average distance from sun in AU

3.How did Galileo solidify the Copernican revolution?
      - Earth could not be moving because objects would be left behind.
     - Non-circular orbits are not perfect as heaven should be.
     - If earth was really orbiting the sun we'd detect stellar parallax.

4.How can we distinguish science from nonscience?
     - Defining science can be surprisingly difficult.
     - Science comes from Latin "knowledge" 
     - Not all knowledge comes from science.

 5.What is a scientific theory?
  - Theory has a different meaning in science than everyday life.
    - In science theory is NOT the same as Hypothesis
             - Explain a wide variety  of observations with a few simple principles.
   - Be supported by a large compelling body of evidence.
   - Not failed crucial test of validation. 

6.What does the universe look like from Earth?
    - The universe has 2000 stars along with 88 constellations that can be seen throughout the different seasons of the year.

7. Why was planetary motion so hard to explain?
 - Because the planets drift making it hard explain.

8.Why did the ancient Greeks reject the real explanation for planetary motion?
 - Because it was wrong to be believe that the sun revolved around the earth.

9.In what ways do all humans use scientific thinking?
 - Scientific thinking is based on everyday ideas of observation and trial and error experiments.

10.How did astronomical observations benefit ancient societies?
 - Keeps track of time/season.
    - Practical purpose (agriculture)
    - Religious/Ceremonial Purpose.
    - In aiding navigation.
    - Ancient people of central Africa could predict seasons by the orientation of crescent moon.
    - Days of the week come from planets.

Chapter 3 Allison Thompson

Chapter 3
* In what ways do all humans employ scientific thinking?
    - Scientific thinking is based on everyday ideas of observation and trial and error experiments.

*How did astronomical observations benefit ancient society?
    - Keeps track of time/season.
    - Practical purpose (agriculture)
    - Religious/Ceremonial Purpose.
    - In aiding navigation.
    - Ancient people of central Africa could predict seasons by the orientation of crescent moon.
    - Days of the week come from planets.

* What did the ancient civilizations achieve in astronomy?
     - Daily time keeping
     - Tracking season and Calanders
     - Monitoring lunar cycles
     - Monitoring planets and stars
     - Predicted Eclipses.

*In what ways do all humans employ scientific thinking?
     - Trials and Error


Chapter 3.2

* Why does modern science trace its roots to the greeks?
     - Greeks were the first people know to make models of nature.
     - Tried to explain patterns in nature without restoring to myth or super natural.

*How did Greeks explain planetary motion?
     - earth is center of universe
     - Heaven must be "perfect". Meaning objects move in/ on perfect spheres/ circles.

* Geocentric Model made by Ptolemy (Ptolemaic Model)
      - Sufficiently accurate (used for 1500 years)
      - Arabic translations of Ptolemy's work named Almagest (Greatest compilation).

* How did Islamic scientist preserve and extend Greek Science?
      - Muslim word preserved/enhanced the knowledge from Greeks while Europe was in the Dark Ages.
      - Almamun's House of wisdom in Bagdad was a great center to learn.
      -Fall of Constantinople in 1453 eastern scholars headed west with their own knowledge.


Chapter 3.3

*How did Copernicus, Tycho, and Kepler challenge Earth centered ideas?
         - Copernicus proposed the sun was the center.
         - He used the model to determine the layout of the solar system.
         - The model was no more accurate than Ptolemaic model in prediction planetary position because it still used perfect circles.
         - Brahe compiled most accurate naked eye measurements ever made of planetary position.
         - Still could not detect stellar parallax and thus still thought earth is center of solar system.
         - Hired Kepler who used Tycho's observations to discover the truth about planetary motion.
         -Kepler first tried Tycho's observation with circular orbits.
         - But 8 arcminute discrepancy led him eventually to ellipses.

*Ellipse
    -  Elongated Circle

Kepler's 3 Laws

  1) Orbit of each planet around the sun is an ellipse with sun at one focus.
 2) As a planet moves around its orbit, it sweeps out equally in time/ area (faster near the sun, slower when away).
3) More distant planets orbit at slower average speed obeying the realtionship. (p^2=a^3)
                                       p= orbited period in years
                                       a= average distance from sun in AU

*How did Galileo solidify the Copernican revolution?
     - Earth could not be moving because objects would be left behind.
     - Non-circular orbits are not perfect as heaven should be.
     - If earth was really orbiting the sun we'd detect stellar parallax.

*Overcoming first objection (Nature of Motion)
           - Aristotle thought that all objects naturally come to rest.
           - Galileo showed that all objects will stay in motion unless force acts to slow them down. (Newton's first law)

*Overcoming Second Objection (Heavenly Perfection)
         - Tycho's observation of comet and supernova already challenged this idea.
         - Sunspots (imperfection)
         - Mountains/valleys on the moon (proving its not a perfect sphere)

*Overcoming Third Objection (Parallax)
       - Tycho thought he had measured stellar distances, so lack of parallax seemed to rule out an orbiting earth.
       -Galileo showed stars must be much farther than Tycho though in part by using his telescope to see Milky Way is countless individual stars.
       - If stars were much farther away then lack of detectable parallax was no longer trolling.
       - Galileo observation of phase's of Venus proved that it orbits the sun not the earth.

*1633 Catholic church ordered Galileo to recant his claim that the Earth orbits the sun.
*His book on the subject was removed from the list of banned books in 1864






Chapter3.4

*How do we distinguish science from nonscience?
     - Defining science can be surprisingly difficult.
     - Science comes from Latin "knowledge" 
     - Not all knowledge comes from science.

*Science rarely proceeds in the idealized way.
      - Sometimes we just look then come up with possible explinations.
      - Sometimes we follow our intuition.

*Hallmark Science #1
     - Modern science seek explanation for observed phenomena that rely solely on natural causes.

*Hallmark Science #2
     - Science progress through the creation/ testing of models of nature that explains the observations.

*Hallmark Science #3
     - Scientific model must make testable predictions about natural phenomena that would force us to revise/ abandon the model.


*What is scientific theory?
    - Theory has a different meaning in science than everyday life.
    - In science theory is NOT the same as Hypothesis
             - Explain a wide variety  of observations with a few simple principles.
   - Be supported by a large compelling body of evidence.
   - Not failed crucial test of validation. 

New evidence comet or asteroid impact was last straw for dinosaurs

New evidence comet or asteroid impact was last straw for dinosaurs:

 "BERKELEY —The demise of the dinosaurs is the world’s ultimate whodunit. Was it a comet or asteroid impact? Volcanic eruptions? Climate change?"

'via Blog this'

Origin of Mammals

Quiz Amber Reed

Amber Reed


Quiz
How did Copernicus, Tycho, and Kepler challenge the Earth centered model?
Copernicus proposed the sun centered model, he used this model to show the layout of the solar system. The model was no accurate in predicting planet positions due to using circles still in the model. Tycho compiled the most accurate naked eyes measurements that were made in planter positions. He could not see the stellar parallax and thought the earth must be the center of the solar system, yet he did feel other planets orbited the sun. Kepler tried t match Tycho’s observations with circular orbits. Yet, an 8 arc minute discrepancy brought him to eventually to ellipses.
What are Kepler's three laws of planetary motion?
The first law was the orbit of each planet around the sun is an ellipses with the sun at one focus. The second law was a planet moves around its orbit, it also sweeps out equal areas in equal times. The third law was most distant planets orbit the sun at slower average speeds, obeying the relationship.
How did Galileo solidify the Copernican revolution?
He solidified it by overcoming the major objections made by Aristotle.  Galileo’s experiments did in fact show that objects in air would stay with earth. Aristotle has said all objects would come to rest naturally. Galileo brought up the idea and showed that objects will stay in motion unless force acts to slow there object down. That was Isaac Newton’s first law of motion.
How can we distinguish science from nonscience?
Defining science is a difficult task; this is because not all knowledge comes from science. Science seeks explanations for observations but rely solely on natural cases.  Science can only progress from creation and testing of models. Any scientific modal cannot include divine intervention.
What is a scientific theory?
Scientific theory must explain wide variety of observations with few simple principles. It must also be supported by a large body of evidence. It cannot have failed any crucial tests which test validity.
What does the universe look like from Earth?
From any location on Earth, we see half the celestial sphere at given time as the dome of our local sky. The horizon is the boundary between the Earth and sky, the zenith is the point directly overhead. Then the median runs from due south to the due north through the zenith.
Why was planetary motion so hard to explain?
It is due to apparent retrograde, meaning backwards. This is when planets which usually move eastward through the constellations, occasionally reverse moving westward through the zodiac.
Why did the ancient Greeks reject the real explanation for planetary motion?
They rejected the real explanation to planetary motion because they explained it by stating that Earth was the center of the universe. They felt the heavens were perfect because the objects move on a perfect sphere or circle.
In what ways do all humans use scientific thinking?
Scientific thinking is based on everyday ideas from observing and trial and error experimentations. 
How did astronomical observations benefit ancient societies?
The benefited from the observations because it helped in keeping track of time and seasons. It also helped with agriculture, religious and ceremonial purposes. It also aided in navigation.

Common Ancestor of Mammals Is Plucked From Obscurity

By JOHN NOBLE WILFORD

Published: February 7, 2013 Comment

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Humankind’s common ancestor with other mammals may have been an animal the size of a rat that weighed no more than half a pound, had a long furry tail and lived on insects.

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Carl Buell

An artist’s rendering of a placental ancestor. Researchers say the small, insect-eating animal is the most likely common ancestor of the species on the most abundant and diverse branch of the mammalian family tree.

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In a comprehensive six-year study of the mammalian family tree, scientists have identified and reconstructed what they say is the most likely common ancestor of the species on the most abundant and diverse branch of that tree. The work appears to support the view that in the global extinctions some 66 million years ago, all non-avian dinosaurs had to die for mammals to flourish.

A team of researchers described the discovery as an important insight into the pattern and timing of early mammal life and a demonstration of the capabilities of a new system for handling copious amounts of fossil and genetic data in the service of evolutionary biology. The formidable new technology is expected to be widely applied in years ahead to similar investigations of plants, insects, fish and fowl.

As researchers reported Thursday in the journal Science, a lowly occupant of the fossil record, Protungulatum donnae, had several anatomical characteristics for live births that anticipated all placental mammals leading to some 5,400 living species, from shrews to elephants, bats to whales, cats to dogs and, not least, humans capable of reconstructing such playbacks of evolution’s course.

Pulled out of obscurity and given some belated stature by an artist’s brush, the animal hardly looks the part of a progenitor of so many mammals (which does not include marsupials, like kangaroos and opossums, or monotremes, egg-laying mammals like the duck-billed platypus).

Maureen A. O’Leary of Stony Brook University on Long Island, a leader of the project and the principal author of the journal report, wrote that a combination of genetic and anatomical data established that the ancestor emerged within 200,000 to 400,000 years after the great dying at the end of the Cretaceous period. At the time, the meek were rapidly inheriting the earth from hulking predators like T. rex.

Within another two million to three million years, Dr. O’Leary said, the first members of modern placental orders appeared in such profusion that researchers have started to refer to the explosive model of mammalian evolution. The common ancestor itself appeared more than 36 million years later than had been estimated based on genetic data alone.

Although some small primitive mammals had lived in the shadow of the great Cretaceous reptiles, the scientists could not find evidence supporting an earlier hypothesis that up to 39 mammalian lineages survived to enter the post-extinction world. Only the stem lineage to Placentalia, they said, appeared to hang on through the catastrophe, generally associated with climate change after an asteroid crashed into Earth.

The research team drew on combined fossil evidence and genetic data encoded in DNA in evaluating the ancestor’s standing as an early placental mammal. Among characteristics associated with full-term live births, the Protungulatum species was found to have a two-horned uterus and a placenta in which the maternal blood came in close contact with the membranes surrounding the fetus, as in humans.

The ancestor’s younger age, the scientists said, ruled out the breakup of the supercontinent of Gondwana around 120 million years ago as a direct factor in the diversification of mammals, as has sometimes been speculated. Evidence of the common ancestor was found in North America, but the animal may have existed on other continents as well.

The publicly accessible database responsible for the findings is called MorphoBank, with advanced software for handling the largest compilation yet of data and images on mammals living and extinct. “This has stretched our own expertise,” Dr. O’Leary, an anatomist, said in an interview.

“The findings were not a total surprise,” she said. “But it’s an important discovery because it relies on lots of information from fossils and also molecular data. Other scientists, at least a thousand, some from other countries, are already signing up to use MorphoBank.”

Michael J. Novacek, a paleontologist and provost for science at the American Museum of Natural History in New York City, said the system could assess each mammal on the basis of more than 4,500 possible traits, which is 10 times larger than previous databases. “At one point, I didn’t think we would ever finish,” Dr. Novacek said.

John R. Wible, curator of mammals at the Carnegie Museum of Natural History in Pittsburgh, who is another of the 22 members of the project, said the “power of 4,500 characters” enabled the scientists to look “at all aspects of mammalian anatomy, from the skull and skeleton, to the teeth, to internal organs, to muscles and even fur patterns” to determine what the common ancestor possibly looked like.

The project was financed primarily by the National Science Foundation as part of itsAssembling the Tree of Life program. Other scientists from Stony Brook, the American Natural History Museum and the Carnegie Museum participated, as well as researchers from the University of Florida, the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga, the University of Louisville, Western University of Health Sciences, in Pomona, Calif., Yale University and others in Canada, China, Brazil and Argentina.

Outside scientists said that this formidable new systematic data-crunching capability might reshape mammal research but that it would probably not immediately resolve the years of dispute between fossil and genetic partisans over when placental mammals arose. Paleontologists looking for answers in skeletons and anatomy have favored a date just before or a little after the Cretaceous extinction. Those who work with genetic data to tell time by “molecular clocks” have arrived at much earlier origins.

The conflict was billed as “Fossils vs. Clocks” in the headline for a commentary article by Anne D. Yoder, an evolutionary biologist at Duke University, which accompanied Dr. O’Leary’s journal report.

Dr. Yoder acknowledged that the new study offered “a fresh perspective on the pattern and timing of mammalian evolution drawn from a remarkable arsenal of morphological data from fossil and living mammals.” She also praised the research’s “level of sophistication and meticulous analysis.”

Even so, Dr. Yoder complained that the researchers “devoted most of their analytical energy to scoring characteristics and estimating the shape of the tree rather than the length of its branches.” She said that “the disregard for the consequences of branch lengths,” as determined by the molecular clocks of genetics, “leaves us wanting more.”

John Gatesy, an evolutionary biologist at the University of California, Riverside, who was familiar with the study but was not an author of the report, said the reconstruction of the common ancestor was “very reasonable and very cool.” The researchers, he said, “have used their extraordinarily large analysis to predict what this earliest placental looked like, and it would be interesting to extend this approach to more branch points in the tree” including for early ancestors like aardvarks, elephants and manatees.

But Dr. Gatesy said the post-Cretaceous date for the placentals “will surely be controversial, as this is much younger than estimates based on molecular clocks, and implies the compression of very long molecular branches at the base of the tree.”

NYT

Chris McGown Notes

Chris McGown Notes

Chris McGown Notes

Chris McGown Notes

Chris McGown Notes

Chris McGown Notes

Chris McGown Notes

Chris McGown Notes

Chris McGown Notes

Chris McGown Notes

Northeast Could Be Hit With Major Snowstorm - NYTimes.com

Northeast Could Be Hit With Major Snowstorm - NYTimes.com:

"The first sign of trouble is likely to be flurries early Friday morning. That is when a large low pressure system will be making its way north, gathering moisture as it moves toward the Northeast."

'via Blog this'

Organic Gases Help Cloud Formation: Scientific American Podcast

Organic Gases Help Cloud Formation: Scientific American Podcast:

"Clouds. They’re fluffy, white, and full of mystery. [Song lyric: I really don’t know clouds at all.] Although scientists may have a better handle on clouds, even they don’t know it all. Because a new study shows that atmospheric gases can help clouds form in a way no one had ever considered. That’s according to a report in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. [Neha Sareen et al, Surfactants from the gas phase may promote cloud droplet formation]"

'via Blog this'

Jessie Horn Chapter 3 Notes

Chapter 3: The Science of Astronomy
3.1 The Ancient Roots of Science
Learning Goals:

1. In what ways do all humans employ scientific thinking? Answer: Scientific thinking is based on everyday ideas of observation and trial-and-error experiments.
2. How did astronomical observations benefit ancient societies? Answer: In keeping track of time and seasons, for practical purposes, including agriculture, for religious and ceremonial purposes, and in aiding navigation.

Ancient people of central Africa (6500 BC) could predict the seasons from the orientation of the crescent moon. The days of the week were named for the Sun, Moon, and visible planets.

What did ancient civilizations achieve in astronomy?

• Daily timekeeping
• Tracking seasons and calendar
• Monitoring lunar cycles
• Monitoring planets and stars
• Predicting eclipses
• And more...

Scientific thinking involves the same type of trial-and-error thinking that we use in our everyday lives, but in a carefully organized way. 

3.2 Ancient Greek Science

1. Why does modern science trace its roots to the Greeks? Answer: Greeks were the first people known to make models of nature. They tried to explain patterns in nature without resorting to myth or supernatural Greek geocentric models (c. 400 BC).
2. How did the Greeks explain planetary motion? Answer: Underpinnings of the Greek geocentric model: Earth is at the center of the universe, Heavens must be "perfect" - objects move on perfect spheres or in perfect circles. But this made it difficult to explain the apparent retrograde motion of planets...Review: Over a period of 10 weeks, Mars appears to stop, back up, then go forward again. The most sophisticated geocentric model was that of Ptolemy (AD 100-170)- the Ptolemaic model: sufficiently accurate to remain in use for 1500 years, Arabic translation of Ptolemy's work named Almagest ("The greatest compilation"). 
3. How did Islamic scientists preserve (make) and extend Greek science? Answer: The Muslim world preserved and enhanced the knowledge they received from the Greeks while Europe was in its Dark Ages. Al-Mamun's House of Wisdom in Baghdad was a great center of learning around AD 800. With the fall of Constantinople (Istanbul) in 1453, Eastern scholars headed West to Europe  carrying knowledge that helped ignite the European Renaissance. 

Which of the following is NOT a fundamental difference between the geocentric and sun-centered models of the solar system? Answer: The geocentric model is useless for predicting planetary positions in the sky, whereas even the earliest sun-centered models worked almost perfectly, which is false. 

3.3 The Copernican Revolution

1. How did Copernicus, Tycho, and Kepler challenge the Earth-centered idea? Answer: Copernicus (1473-1543) proposed the sun-centered model (published in 1543), he used the model to determine the layout of the solar system (planetary distances in AU), BUT...the model was no more accurate than the Ptolemaic model in predicting planetary positions because it still used perfect circles. Tycho Brahe (1546-1601) compiled the most accurate (1 arcminute) naked eye measurements ever made of planetary positions. He still could not detect stellar parallax and thus, still thought Earth must be at the center of the solar system (but recognized that other planets go around the Sun). He hired Kepler, who used Tycho's observations to discover the truth about planetary motion. Johannes Kepler (1571-1630) first tried to match Tycho's observations with circular orbits. But an 8-arcminute discrepancy led him eventually to ellipses: "If I had believed that we could ignore these 8 mins (of arc), I would have patched up my hypothesis accordingly. But since it was not permissible to ignore, those 8 mins pointed the road to a complete reformation in astronomy." Ellipse: an ellipse looks like an elongated circle.
2. What are Kepler's 3 laws of planetary motion? Kepler's first law: The orbit of each planet around the Sun is an ellipse with the Sun at one focus. Kepler's second law: As a planet moves around its orbit, it sweeps out equal areas in equal times. This means that the planet travels faster when it is nearer to the Sun and slower when it is farther from the Sun. Kepler's third law: More distant planets orbit the Sun slower averages speeds, obeying the relationship. Astronomical Unit = AU. Distance from Earth to the Sun is 8 light minutes.
3. How did Galileo solidify the Copernican revolution? Galileo (1564-1642) overcame major objections to the Copernican view. Three key objections rooted in the Aristotelian view were the following: Earth could not be moving because objects in air would be left behind, Non-circular orbits are not "perfect" as heavens should be, and if Earth were really orbiting the Sun, we'd detect stellar parallax. Overcoming the first objection (nature of motion): Galileo's experiments showed that objects in air would stay with a moving Earth. Aristotle thought that all objects naturally come to rest (wrong), Galileo showed that objects will stay in motion unless a force acts to slow them down (Newton's first law of motion). Overcoming the second objection (heavenly perfection): Tycho's observations of comet and supernova already challenged this idea. Using his telescope, Galileo saw: sunspots on the Sun ("imperfections"), mountains and valleys on the Moon (proving it is not a perfect sphere) overcoming the third objection (parallax). Tycho thought he had measured stellar distances, so lack of parallax seemed to rule out an orbiting Earth. Galileo showed stars must be much farther than Tycho thought, in part by using his telescope to see the Milky Way is countless individual stars. If stars were much farther away, then lack of detectable parallax was no longer so troubling. Galileo also saw four moons orbiting Jupiter, proving that not all objects orbit Earth. Galileo's observations of phases of Venus proved that it orbits the Sun and not the Earth. In 1633, the Catholic Church ordered Galileo to recant his claim that Earth orbits the Sun. His book on the subject was removed from the Church's index of banned books in 1824. Galileo was formally vindicated by the church in 1992. 

3.4 The Nature of Science 

1. How can we distinguish science from non-science? Defining science can be surprisingly difficult. Science, in Latin, means "knowledge." But not all knowledge comes from science. The idealized scientific method is based on proposing and testing a hypothesis, or an educated guess. But science rarely proceeds in this idealized way. For example: sometimes we start by "just looking" then coming up with possible explanations. Sometimes we follow intuition rather than a particular line of evidence. Hallmarks of Science #1: Modern science seeks explanations for observed phenomena that rely solely on natural causes (A scientific model cannot include dive intervention). Hallmarks of Science #2: Science progresses through creation and testing of models of nature that explain the observations as simply as possible (simplicity = "occam's razor). Hallmarks of Science #3: A scientific model must make testable predictions about natural phenomena that would force us to revise or abandon the model if the predictions do not agree with observations.  
2. What is the scientific theory? The word "theory" has a different meaning in science than in everyday life. In science, a theory is NOT the same as a hypothesis. A scientific theory must: explain a variety of observations with a few simple principles  be supported by large, compelling body of evidence, NOT have failed any crucial test of its validity. Darwin's Theory of evolution meets all the criteria of scientific theory. This means after more than 100 years of testing, Darwin's theory stands stronger than ever, having successfully met every scientific challenge to its validity. 

Bacteria Found Deep Under Antarctic Ice, Scientists Say - NYTimes.com

Bacteria Found Deep Under Antarctic Ice, Scientists Say - NYTimes.com:

 "For the first time, scientists report, they have found bacteria living in the cold and dark deep under the Antarctic ice, a discovery that might advance knowledge of how life could survive on other planets or moons and that offers the first glimpse of a vast ecosystem of microscopic life in underground lakes in Antarctica."

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Tsunami Causes Deaths and Damages Homes on Solomon Islands - NYTimes.com

Tsunami Causes Deaths and Damages Homes on Solomon Islands - NYTimes.com:

 "AUCKLAND, New Zealand — A powerful 8.0 magnitude earthquake caused a tsunami that sent strong waves crashing into several South Pacific islands on Wednesday, with officials in the Solomon Islands saying that at least four people died."

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Life Found Deep Under Antarctic Ice For First Time?

Life Found Deep Under Antarctic Ice For First Time?:

 "For the first time, scientists believe they have collected life-forms from deep under the Antarctic ice."

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Amber Reed Chapter 3 Notes

Chapter 3: The Science of Astronomy
The Ancient Roots of Science:
In what ways do all humans employ scientific thinking?
-scientific thinking is based on everyday ideas from observing and trial and error
experiments
How did astronomical observations benefit ancient societies?
-in keeping track of time and seasons.
-this was done for practical purposes, example: for agriculture
-for religious and ceremonial purposes as well
-this aids in navigation
-ancient people of central Africa (6500 BC) could predict seasons from the
orientation of the crescent moon
What did ancient civilizations achieve in
astronomy?
- daily time keeping
-tracking the seasons and calendar
-monitored lunar cycles
-monitored planets and stars
-predicting eclipses and etc
-Egyptian Obelisk- this is how shadows tell time of day
-England had Stonehenge which was erected around 1550 BC
-Mexico had the MOdel of the Templo Mayor
-SW United States: "sun dagger" masks summer Solstice
-Scotland has a 4000 year old stone circle, when moon rises every 18.6 years
-Peru :lines and patterns, which some are aligned with stars
-Machu Picchu, Peru have structures aligned with solstices
- South Pacific:Polynesians were very skilled in the celestial navigational arts
- France: Cave painting from 18,000 BC may suggest lunar phases knowledge
-China: earliest known records of supernova explosions which was around 1400
BC
Ancient Greek Science:
Why does modern science trace its roots to the Greeks?
-Mathematical and scientific heritage originated with the civilization of the Middle
East
-Artis's reconstruction of The Library of Alexandria
-Greeks were the first known to make models of nature
-they tried to explain patterns in nature without myth or the supernatur to be
the reasoning
Greek geocentric model (400 BC)
Eratosthenes measures the Earth (240 BC)
How did the Greeks explain planetary motion?
--Earth is at Center of universe
-the heavens must be "perfect" because the objects move on a "perfect" spheres
or in circles
-PLato and Aristotle were instrumental in this theory for planetary motion
- Unfortunately this made it quite difficult to explain apparent retrograde motion
of planets...ex: Mars
-over a period of of 10 weeks, Mars appears to stop, back up, then forward once
again.
- The Ptolemaic model is most sophisticated geocentric model by Ptolemy (AD
100-170).
-sufficiently accurate to remain in use for 1500 years
-Arabic translation of Ptolmey's worked Almagest (The greatest compilation)
Answer is : D
How did Islamic scientists preserve and extend science?
-The muslim world preserved and enhanced the knowledge from Greeks while
Europe was in Dark Ages
-Al-Mamun's House of Wisdom in Baghdad was a wonderful center for learning
approx. AD 800.
-The fall of Constantinople (Istanbul) in 1453, Eastern scholars headed west to
Europe, carrying knowledge that was instrumental in igniting the European
Renaissance.
The Copernican Revolution:
How did Copernicus,Tycho and Kepler challenge the Earth-centered idea?
-Corpernicus proposed the sun centered model (pub. 1543)
-He used model to show the layout of the solar system
-Yet the model was no more accurate in predicting planet positions, due to using
perfect circles still in the model
Copernicus (1473-1543)
Tycho Brahe (1546-1601)
-He complied the most accurate naked eyes
measurements that were made in planetary positions.
-He still could not see the stellar parallax and thought
Earth must be the center of the solar system (yet he recognized other planets
orbited the Sun).
Brahe hired Kepler, who used Tycho's observations to find the truth about
planetary motion.
Johannes Kepler (1571-1630)
-He first tried to match Tycho's oberservations with circular
oribits
-yet, an 8 arcminute discrepancy brought him to eveutally to
ellipses.
An ellipse looks like an elongated circle.
What are Kepler's three laws of planetary motion?
- The first law;The orbit of each planet around the Sun i an ellipses with the Sun
at one focus.
-The second law: As a planet moves around its orbit,it sweeps out equal areas in
equal times.
the third law:
Most distant planets orbit the Sun at slower average speeds, obeying the
relationship
p=orbital period in years
a=average distance form sun in AU
How did Galileo solidify the Copernican revolution?
- overcame major objections to the Copernican view. Three key objections
rooted in the Aristotelian view:
Earth could to be moving because the objects 1. in the air would be left behind
2. Noncircular orbits are not "perfect: as heavens should be.
If in fact Earth was really orbiting Sun, we would see stellar parallax
Galileo (1564-1642)
Galileo's experiments showed that objects in air would in fact stay with Earth
-Aristotle concluded that all objects naturally come to rest
-Galileo brought the idea and showed that objects will stay in motion unless a
force acts to slow the objects down. (this was Newton's first Law of motion)
-Tycho's observations of comet and supernova already challenged this idea
-So Galileo used his telescope and saw;
• sunspots on the sun(imperfections)
mountains and valleys on the moon(this proved it is not a perfect sphere)
•-
Tycho thought he had measured stellar distances, so lack of the parallax seemed
to rule out an orbiting Earth
-Galileo showed stars are much farther than Tycho had fist thought--which with
using his telescope to se that the Milky Way is countless individual stars.
-If stars were much farther away, then lack of detectable parallax was no longer
so troubling
-Galileo also saw four moons orbiting Jupiter proving that
not all objects orbit Earth
-Galileo observations of phases of venus
-in 1633 the Catholic church ordered Galileo to recent his claim that earth orbits
the Sun
-his book on the subject was removed form the Church's index of banned book
in 1824
-Galileo was formally vindicated by the Church in 1992
The Nature of Science:
How can we distinguish science from non-science?
-Defining science is difficult
-Science come from Latin Scientia, defined as "knowledge"
-but not all knowledge comes from science
Idealized scientific method:
-based on proposing and testing hypotheses
-hypothesis=educated guess
Science rarely proceeds in this idealized way:
example could be:
-sometimes we start "just looking" then coming up with possible explanations
-sometimes we follow intuition rather than a particular line of evidence
Hallmarks of Science #1
-modern science seeks explanation for observed phenomena that rely on solely
on natural cases
-scientific model cannot include divine intervention
Hallmarks of Science #2
-Science progresses though the creation and testing of models nature that explain
the observations simply as possible.
-Simplicity= Occam's razor
Hallmarks of Science #3
-a scientific model must take testable predictions about natural phenomena that
would force us to revise or abandon the model if the prediction if the do not
agree with the observations.
What is a scientific theory?
-the owrd theory has dfferent meanings in science that in everyday life
-theory is NOT the same as hypithesis
-a scientific theory must:
explain a wide variety of observations • with few simple principles
• be supported by a large body of evdicen
• NOT have failed any crucial test its validity

Astronomy research center launched by China, Chile - China.org.cn

Astronomy research center launched by China, Chile - China.org.cn:

 "An astronomy research center was jointly launched Friday by the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) and Chile."

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Lauren Buzzard Quiz

Lauren Buzzard

1. What is our place in the universe? Our cosmetic address

2. How did we come to be? By the birth of the universe pulling matter together to make galaxies,
then galaxies f cosmetic recycling plants, life cycle of stars and then earth and life.

3. How can we know what the universe was like in the past? By the light travel time, the further
the distance the further back in time

4. Can we see the entire universe? no

5. How big is Earth compared to our solar system? The size of a ball point pen tip

6. How far away are the stars? On the 1-10 scale a few minutes’ walk to Pluto

7. How big is the Milky Way Galaxy? On the 1-10 scale the length of a football field

8. How big is the universe? As many grains of sand on all of earth’s beaches

9. How do our lifetimes compare to the age of the universe? By the cosmetic calendar

10. How is Earth moving in our solar system? It moves on its axis rotating around once every day at
fast speeds.

New Alien Planet 'Habitable Zone' Rules | Extraterrestrial Life | Space.com

New Alien Planet 'Habitable Zone' Rules | Extraterrestrial Life | Space.com:

 "One of the most important characteristics of an alien planet is whether or not it falls into what's called the habitable zone ­— a Goldilocks-like range of not-too-close, not-too-far distances from the parent star that might allow the planet to host life."

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