The Cosmic Perspective (9th Edition)
9th Edition
ISBN: 9780134874364
Author: Jeffrey O. Bennett, Megan O. Donahue, Nicholas Schneider, Mark Voit
Publisher: PEARSON
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Chapter 3, Problem 49EAP
Method of Eratosthenes I. You are an astronomer on planet Nearth, which orbits a distant star. It has recently been accepted that Nearth is spherical in shape, though no one knows its size. One day, while studying in the library of Alectown, you learn that on the equinox your sun is directly overhead in the city of Nyene, located 1000 kilometers due north of you. On the equinox, you go outside and observe that the altitude of your sun is 80°. What is the circumference of Nearth? (Hint: Apply the technique used by Eratosthenes to measure Earth’s circumference.)
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TRUE OR FALSE
1. Ptolemy elaborated theories for each of the planets, as well as for the Sun and Moon.
2. Several of Tycho’s observations contradicted Aristotle’s system: a nova that appeared in 1572.
3. The line between a planet and the earth sweeps out equal areas in equal periods.
4. The planets travel around the Sun in elliptical orbits.
5. The square of a planet's period, T, is directly proportional to the cube of its average distance from the Earth.
Match the astronomer to their contribution to ancient Greek astronomy:
v Developed the long-standing geocentric model of the universe until it was replaced during the Renaissance
A. Aristarchus
v One of the first to claim that the Earth may orbit the Sun, but his ideas were rejected by later philosophers
B. Aristotle
v Developed a technique for measuring the circumference of the Earth long before anyone circumnavigated the globe
with ships
c. Eratosthenes
D. Pythagoras
v Used eclipses to confirm the shape of the Earth and that the Moon was closer to the Earth than the Sun despite the
fact that they appear to be the same size in the sky
E. Ptolemy
v Brilliant geometric mind that was one of the first to propose that all of the heavenly bodies were spheres due to their
perfect natures
F. Hipparchus
v Established the apparent magnitude system that we use to measure the brightness of stars and deduced that the
direction of Earth's axis of rotation has changed over time
Kepler's 1st law says that our Solar System's planets orbit in ellipses around the Sun where the closest distance to the Sun is called perihelion.
Suppose I tell you that there is a planet with a perihelion distance of 2 AU and a semi-major axis of 1.5 AU.
Does this make physical sense? Explain why or why not.
Chapter 3 Solutions
The Cosmic Perspective (9th Edition)
Ch. 3 - Prob. 1VSCCh. 3 - Use the following questions to check your...Ch. 3 - Use the following questions to check your...Ch. 3 - Use the following questions to check your...Ch. 3 - Use the following questions to check your...Ch. 3 - Prob. 6VSCCh. 3 - Prob. 7VSCCh. 3 - Prob. 1EAPCh. 3 - Why did ancient peoples study astronomy? Describe...Ch. 3 - Describe the astronomical origins of our day,...
Ch. 3 - What is a lunar calendar? How can it be kept...Ch. 3 - What do we mean by a model in science?Ch. 3 - Summarize the development of the Greek geocentric...Ch. 3 - What was the Copernican revolution, and how did it...Ch. 3 - 8. What is an ellipse? Define its foci, semimajor...Ch. 3 - 9. State and explain the meaning of each of...Ch. 3 - Describe the three hallmarks of science and how we...Ch. 3 - 11. What is the difference between a hypothesis...Ch. 3 - What is the basic idea behind astrology? Explain...Ch. 3 - Science or Nonscience? Each of the following...Ch. 3 - Science or Nonscience? Each of the following...Ch. 3 - Science or Nonscience?
Each of the following...Ch. 3 - Science or Nonscience?
Each of the following...Ch. 3 - Science or Nonscience?
Each of the following...Ch. 3 - Science or Nonscience? Each of the following...Ch. 3 - Science or Nonscience? Each of the following...Ch. 3 - Science or Nonscience?
Each of the following...Ch. 3 - Science or Nonscience?
Each of the following...Ch. 3 - Science or Nonscience? Each of the following...Ch. 3 - In the Greek geocentric model, the retrograde...Ch. 3 - Which of the following was not a major advantage...Ch. 3 - When we say that a planet has a highly eccentric...Ch. 3 - Earth is closer to the Sun in January than in...Ch. 3 - According to Kepler’s third law, (a) Mercury...Ch. 3 - Tycho Brahe’s contribution to astronomy included...Ch. 3 - Galileo’s contribution to astronomy included (a)...Ch. 3 - Which of the following is not true about...Ch. 3 - Which of the following is not true about a...Ch. 3 - When Einstein’s theory of gravity (general...Ch. 3 - What Makes It Science? Choose a single idea in the...Ch. 3 - Prob. 35EAPCh. 3 - Prob. 36EAPCh. 3 - Prob. 37EAPCh. 3 - Earth’s Shape. It took thousands of years for...Ch. 3 - Prob. 40EAPCh. 3 - Copernican Players. Using a bulleted-list format,...Ch. 3 - Prob. 44EAPCh. 3 - The Metonic Cycle. The length of our calendar year...Ch. 3 - Chinese Calendar. The traditional Chinese lunar...Ch. 3 - Method of Eratosthenes I. You are an astronomer on...Ch. 3 - Method of Eratosthenes II. You are an astronomer...Ch. 3 - Mars Orbit. Find the perihelion and aphelion...Ch. 3 - Eris Orbit. The dwarf planet Eris orbits the Sun...Ch. 3 - New Planet Orbit. A newly discovered planet orbits...Ch. 3 - Halley Orbit. Halley’s Comet orbits the Sun every...
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