According the Big Bang by Simon Singh, Copernicus was one of the first to propose a heliocentric, sun-centered universe. However his claims made little impact because his predictions were inaccurate. In the 1500s Johannes Kepler discovered that these inaccuracies were due to three assumptions Copernicus made. First, he assumed that planets have circular orbits. Second, he assumed that planets move at constant speeds. Third, he assumed that the sun was at the center of the planet's orbits. Kepler thus exposed Copernicus's errors and showed that planets have elliptical orbits and constantly vary their speeds. He also said that the sun is not quite the center of the planet's orbits. These claims allowed for more accurate predictions and was a step forward in developing the model of the solar system that we have today. I admire Kepler for abandoning the common sense that kept scientists of his time from discovering the true workings of the solar system. I know that common sense is necessary in our everyday live in order to prevent us from doing stupid things with horrible consequences. However I realize that common sense has little place in theoretical science.
The Paradoxicality
No comments:
Post a Comment