Questions Flashcards
Explain the existence of invisible soccer ball
a. In a soccer game where two Twiloans can’t see the ball, they made an attempt to understand the game by creating charts, graphs, and rules about the match. A rare event (momentary appearance of bulge in net)prompts them to posit the existence of an invisible soccer ball which then validates their theories, charts and diagrams and now the game makes sense - the ball simply gives meanings to rules. In physics, particularly in particle physics, we would never to come to an understanding of the rules (laws of nature) without knowing the objects involved (the ball) and, without a belief in a logical set of laws, we would never deduce the existence of such/all particles.
Relate allegory of the cave to science
Plato’s Allegory of the cave illustrates the essential objective of scientific method which is to explain what is observed in terms of the basic underlying principles. “Our senses are only picking up shadows of the true reality and this reality can only be accurately discerned through reason, not the physical senses
Generally, what have the ancient greeks done for us?
It was the early Greeks who began to explain natural phenomena, independent of religious explanation, with logical arguments based on simple, underlying theories. Their most important contribution was the development of scientific method (for dealing with physical phenomena) which is the basic mode of inquiry for science.
- Explain the epicyclical astronomy
a. The epicyclical (epicycle-on-deferent ) astronomy is an attempt to predict planetary perturbations (retrograde motion) following the geocentric model/view of the universe. Each planet was taken to move uniformly around a small circle (epicycle) whose center moved uniformly around Earth on a larger circle called the deferent.
- How did we come to realize that the earth is not the center of the universe? (geocentric)
For centuries, the view that the earth is the center (geocentric model) of the universe persisted (arising from Western civilization) as the objects in the sky such as stars and planets appear to move in circular path around the earth which was deemed to be stationary. Aristotle adopted the homocentric model of the universe and speculated the earth to be composed of four prime substances – earth, water, air, and fire. Some 1800 years later, Ptolemy redefined Aristotle’s model which failed to comply to astronomical data by introducing the concept of epicycles on deferents with an intent to explain the apparent retrograde motion of planets. But as more and more circles were added to the system, things get more complicated.
- How did we come to realize that the earth is not the center of the universe? (heliocentric)
b. Copernicus revived the idea of Aristarchus and proposed the sun and stars to be fixed while the earth be regarded as a planet that circled the sun in the same manner that other planets do. By positing the sun to be the center, the model excludes the complicated system of epicycles and explains the retrograde motion as simply an “optical illusion”. However, Copernicus’ theory didn’t fit astronomical data and his idea was condemned by religious organization and was considered heretical.¬ Tycho Brahe, with his most accurate data proposed a theory where the earth is at the center of the universe and the moon and the sun, where five other planets orbit it, orbit the earth. In 1608, with the invention of telescope, Galileo constructed a greatly improved telescope and made significant discoveries involving the Jupiter moons, phases of Venus, sunspots and lunar landscape. The discovery of craters in the moon abolished the idea that heavenly objects are “perfect” (Aritostelian philosophy) and the discovery of Jupiter moons indicate that there were other centers of rotation in the universe other than the Earth. Then, Johannes Kepler used Brahe’s data upon his death and proposed that the orbits of the planets are ellipse and published his laws of planetary motion. 70 years later, Newton published his laws of motion and his law of universal gravitation to explain Kepler’s law.
- Explain the universe as a mechanism
By the law of causality, every phenomenon has its mechanical cause, and the entire universe, including the mind of man, is ruled by this law. This proposes the universe to be a mechanism analogous to a subtle, elaborate clockwork, working according to well-defined rules and explicable on physical principles/set of mathematical laws.
