Ancient Greek Physics and Astronomy Quiz

Ancient Greek Physics and Astronomy

Pythagoreans (500 B.C.)

• Believed in a geocentric model, where the stars, planets, sun, and moon were attached to crystalline spheres that rotated around the Earth.
• Proposed three types of terrestrial motion: natural motion, forced motion, and rest.

Aristotle (350 B.C.)

• Proposed the concept of four elements: Fire, Earth, Air, and Water.
• Supported geocentrism, where the Earth is at the center of the universe.
• Showed that the Earth is spherical in shape.
• Developed the Theory of Motion, which included violent motion and natural motion.
• Described three types of motion: diurnal motion, annual motion, and precession of the equinoxes.

Evidence for a Round Earth

• Ship-and-horizon observation: as a ship disappears over the horizon, the hull disappears first, indicating a curved Earth.
• Constellations from different latitudes: the angle of the constellation changes as one moves north or south, indicating a spherical Earth.
• Earth's shadow on the moon during an eclipse: the curved shape of the shadow indicates a spherical Earth.
• Higher elevation and visible distance: the higher the elevation, the farther one can see, indicating a curved Earth.
• Comparison of shadows cast in different cities (e.g., Aswan and Alexandria): the difference in shadow lengths indicates a spherical Earth.

Ancient Greek Astronomy

• Described observable astronomical phenomena using the Earth's motion as a basis:
• The Earth's tilted axis
• The Earth's rotation
• The Earth's revolution
• The motion of the Moon around the Earth
• The alignment of the Earth, Moon, and Sun in a straight line

Models of the Universe

Plato's Model

• Not specified in the text.

Eudoxus' Model

• Not specified in the text.

Aristotle's Model

• Not specified in the text.

Ptolemy's Model

• Not specified in the text.

Aristarchus and Copernicus

• Proposed a heliocentric model, where the Sun is at the center of the universe and the planets orbit the Sun.
• Copernicus' model solved the problem of "retrograde motion" but did not immediately replace Ptolemy's theory.

Tycho Brahe (1600)

• Favored an Earth-centered universe different from Ptolemy's theory.
• Made accurate astronomical observations, including the discovery of a "nova stella".
• Proved that comets are found in the Celestial Domain.
• Removed the necessity of crystalline celestial spheres.

Johannes Kepler (1609)

• Used Tycho's observational data to develop laws of planetary motion.
• Developed Kepler's 3 Laws of Planetary Motion:
• Law of Ellipses
• Law of Equal Areas
• Law of Periods