Read the text. Then do Exercise 1. Read the text. Then do Exercise 1

CODE GREEN UNIT 4 TEST

Name: ______________ Date: ______________

Class: ______________ Mark: ____ / 75

Reading

Read the text. Then do Exercise 1.

For centuries people believed that the sun, the stars and the planets all move in a circle around the earth. This is what is called a geocentric theory in astronomy. The word comes from the ancient Greek, “geo” which means earth and “centro” which means middle or centre. This theory was believed by great minds like Ptolemy, Aristotle and most ancient Greek philosophers as well as thinkers in ancient China.

Although geocentrists were wrong in the end, they were people who depended on scientific observation. The geocentric belief in ancient Greece was based on observations of natural phenomena. By watching the stars, planets and sun, it looks like they are moving around the earth. Also, it is easy to believe that if something we are standing on is moving, we would feel it. Geocentrists, did not get everything wrong. They also believed that the earth is round and not flat like we have read about in mythology.

The ancient Greeks believed that the planets and stars moved around the earth in circles. However, after observing them they saw that that they do not move perfectly this way. In the 1600’s, Polish astronomer Copernicus, was able to better explain the motion of the planets and stars by saying that the sun, and not the earth, was the centre of the universe. This is what we call a heliocentric solar system. This word also comes from the Greek language, “helios” meaning sun and “centro” meaning centre. This theory was difficult to accept as people, and the church in particular, wanted to believe that man is at the centre of the universe and space.

Galileo also believed in the heliocentric theory and was able to further prove this theory by using a telescope he had built. With it, he was able to better observe the motion of the planets and stars in space. He saw, for example, that the moons of Jupiter moved around Jupiter and not the earth. At the same time that Galileo was observing space with his telescope, a German mathematician and astronomer, Johannes Kepler, was doing his own work to prove the heliocentric theory. He was able to explain the motion of planets by proving mathematically that the planets and the stars move in ellipses and not in circles.

As years passed, more and more scientists, such as Isaac Newton, were able to give more information proving that the Earth moves around the sun and not the other way around. Copernicus was not the first astronomer to believe in a heliocentric theory. The ancient Greek Aristarchus of Samos believed this as well. He was able to prove that the sun is larger than the earth, so he thought that the earth must go around it.

It often takes a long time to prove a theory and scientists may begin with one that is wrong. However, by asking questions or trying to explain the world around us, scientists and philosophers have answered many questions and have helped us to better understand the world around us.

1 Choose the correct answer. [10 points]

1 People who believed in a geocentric theory thought that...

a...the earth moved around the sun.

b... the sun moved around the earth.

c...moons moved around Jupiter.

2 People who believed in a geocentric theory thought that...

a...the earth was flat.

b...the earth was round.

c...the earth was an ellipse.

3 A heliocentric solar system means that...

a...the planets move around the sun.

b... the sun moves around the earth.

c...moons move around Jupiter.

4... used a telescope to prove the heliocentric theory.

a Ptolemy...

b Copernicus...

c Galileo...

5...believed in a heliocentric solar system first.

a Aristarchus...

b Copernicus...

c Galileo...

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