Question 1
0.75/ 0.75pts
Dewberry shared a reply from Galileo to Sarsi. What was Sarsi’s argument
against the Copernican view?
the view must be wrong because telescopic evidence showed a lack of stellar
parallax
the view must be wrong because it is was not taught by the ancient Greeks
the view must be wrong because the Pope had rejected it
the view must be wrong because it had so few followers
Question 2
0.75/ 0.75pts
When Copernicus publishedDe Revolutionibus, which of these was true?
the book provided new empirical data that was missing from the geocentric
view
the book showed that the heliocentric model could make more accurate
predictions about the positions of the planets than the geocentric model
the book explained how to observe stellar parallax
the book explained the retrograde motion of planets
all of the above
Question 3
0.75/ 0.75pts
In Kepler’s third law, what is P for Earth? What is a for Earth? Do these values
support or disprove Kepler’s third law?
P = 365 days, a = 1.5 x 108km. These values disprove Kepler’s third law.
P = 1 year, a = 2 AU. These values disprove Kepler’s third law.
P = 24 hours, a = 1 AU. These values support Kepler’s third law.
P = 1 year, a = 1 AU. These values support Kepler’s third law.
Question 4
0.75/ 0.75pts
Which of Galileo’s observations helped to undermine core claims or
predictions of the geocentric model?
the four moons of Jupiter
the phases of Venus
the confirmation of sunspots
all of the above
none of the above
Question 5
0.75/ 0.75pts
Which of Newton’s laws of motion best explains the motion of a rocket?
first law
second law
third law
none of the above
Question 6
0.75/ 0.75pts
Name one example of a famous observer and of a famous theoretician.
Observer Tycho; theoretician Kepler.
Observer Bruno; theoretician Eratosthenes.
Observer Plato; theoretician Hipparchus
Observer Aristotle; theoretician Tycho
Question 7
0.75/ 0.75pts
According to Dewberry, which of these important 20thcentury
philosophers/philosophies of science would have agreed that the
Copernicans were justified in claiming their theory to be true?
Kuhn
Popper
the logical positivists
all of the above
none of the above
Question 8
0.75/ 0.75pts
How does Kepler’s second law of planetary motion overthrow one of the
basic beliefs of classical astronomy?
It states that a planet’s orbital period depends on its distance from the Sun,
hence, it contradicts the perfect heavens principle.
It states that the planets do not orbit Earth in circular orbits, hence, it
contradicts the idea of uniform circular motion.
It states that the planets do not move at a constant speed in their orbits,
hence, it contradicts the idea of uniform circular motion.
Kepler’s second law is fully consistent with the basic beliefs of classical
astronomy.
Question 9
0.75/ 0.75pts
Describe the motion of the planets according to Ptolemy.
All the planets orbit around Earth in their own circles with uniform motion,
but have epicycles to explain brightening and retrograde motion.
All planets orbit around Earth in their own orbits called deferents. Deferent
orbits differ from a circle by the epicycle values, which change slowly over
time.
All planets orbit around Earth in their own circles called deferents, and these
circles intersect the epicycles, which cause slowing and even reversing of the
plants’ motion.
All the planets orbit the Earth in their own circles with uniform motion. So
planets travel at a constant speed.
Question 10
0.75/ 0.75pts
What examples suggest that early human cultures observed astronomical
phenomena?
Stonehenge and the pyramids
Detailed descriptions in a wide variety of written sources.
Primitive telescopes.
Festivals celebrated on winter and summer solstices up to now.
Question 11
0.75/ 0.75pts
Dewberry shows how the different positions being held in the 1600’s mirror
three philosophical positions today. Which of these groupings from Dewberry
is correct?
position 1—empirically based realism, position 2—skepticism, position
3--Empirically/subjectively based realism
position 1—skepticism, position 2-- empirically based realism, position 3--
Empirically/subjectively based realism
position 1-- Empirically/subjectively based realism, position 2—skepticism,
position 3-- empirically based realism
position 1-- empirically based realism, position 2-- Empirically/subjectively
based realism, position 3—skepticism
Question 12
0.75/ 0.75pts
While it is common to hear that he was persecuted by the Church for being a
good scientist, history suggests that when we consider the context of his
personality, the time and place in which he lived, who he alienated, etc., the
true story is complicated and has less to do with science than we might
expect.
Copernicus
Kepler
Galileo
Tycho
Newton
Question 13
0.75/ 0.75pts
(From Dewberry) In his reply to Sarsi, Galileo compares “good philosophers”
to the “crowd of fools” with which analogy?
eagles and starlings
lions and lambs
kings and paupers
artists and beggars
Question 14
0.75/ 0.75pts
Which of these statements is true about Newton’s Universal Law of Gravity?
the force of gravity between two objects is inversely proportional to the
square of the distance between them
as we have learned from our astronauts, there is no gravity in space once
you leave the Earth, so you become weightless
due to gravity, larger, heavier objects fall at a faster rate than smaller,
lighter objects
all of the above
none of the above
I Question 15
0/ 0.75pts
How does Kepler’s first law of planetary motion overthrow one of the basic
beliefs of classical astronomy?
Kepler’s first law is fully consistent with the basic beliefs of classical
astronomy.
It states that a planet’s orbital period depends on its distance from the Sun,
hence, it contradicts the perfect heavens principle.
It states that the planets do not orbit Earth and also do not follow circular
orbits, hence, it contradicts the idea of uniform circular motion.
It states that the planets do not move at a constant speed in their orbits,
hence, it contradicts the idea of uniform circular motion.
Question 16
0.75/ 0.75pts
When Tycho observed the new star of 1572, he could detect no parallax.
Why did that undermine the belief in the perfect heavens idea of Aristotle?
Observing a star without a parallax undermined the perfect heavens idea
because every object at a celestial sphere had to have a parallax.
Observing a new star undermined the perfect heavens idea because the
starry sphere was no longer unchanging.
Observing a new star undermined the perfect heavens idea because it was
not predicted by the Ptolemaic tables of stars’ motion.
Observing a star without parallax undermined the perfect heavens idea
because an object of such brightness should be situated closer to Earth.
Question 17
0.75/ 0.75pts
Why did Copernicus have to keep small epicycles in his model?
He used epicycles only because he couldn’t reject all elements of the
Ptolemaic model at one moment.
He needed epicycles because he used elliptical motion instead of uniform
circular motion.
He needed epicycles because he tried to keep uniform circular motion
instead of elliptical motion.
He needed epicycles because he couldn’t describe planets’ interactions in
another way.
Question 18
0.75/ 0.75pts
Dewberry gives three positions that various parties took regarding whether
or not the Copernicans were warranted in claiming their theory was true.
Given three different groups—the Copernicans, the Domincans, and the
Jesuits, which position did each take?
Copernicans—position 1, Dominicans—position 2, Jesuits—position 3
Jesuits—position 1, Dominicans—position 2, Copernicans—position 3
Dominicans—position 1, Jesuits—position 2, Copernicans—position 3
Jesuits—position 1, Copernicans—position 2, Dominicans—position 3
Question 19
0.75/ 0.75pts
When Tycho observed the new star of 1572, he could detect no parallax.
Why did that undermine the belief in the Ptolemaic system?
Not observing a parallax indicates that the new star is situated outside the
Ptolemaic universe.
Not observing a parallax indicates that the new star is farther away than the
Moon and probably as distant as the stars.
Not observing a parallax of a new star indicates that this star is not moving
around Earth but has its own direction of motion.
Not observing a parallax of a new star indicates that this star is not situated
on one of the celestial spheres.
Question 20
0.75/ 0.75pts
What is a scientific paradigm?
Conflict between two scientists who have contradictory ideas.
Observations and experiments proving a scientific hypothesis.
Something that limits scientists’ understanding of nature.
A commonly accepted set of scientific ideas and assumptions.
