Humanities / History

Use this book to answer the questions below and add quotes with page number from the book to support answers. Here is the name of the book: Thomas Kuhn, The Copernican Revolution: Planetary Astronomy in the Development of Western Thought (ISBN:978-­‐0674171039) 1. What, according to Kuhn, is the main difference between Greek and Egyptian cosmology? (100-150 words; 15 points) 2. Define the following 3 terms based on the reading (2-3 sentences each; 15 points [5 each]) [Please don’t google these and copy paste definitions, lots have tried….explain in your own words based on the reading] a. North celestial pole b. Circumpolar stars c. Ecliptic 3. Ancient Greeks believed the cosmos was made up of two spheres. What were these two spheres? Where did this conception of a two-sphere universe come from? (see p. 25-33) (100-200 words; include at least 2 short quotes from the text with page numbers; 15 points) Chapter 2 (45 points) 4. For ancient thinkers, retrograde motion was a major theoretical problem. Yet, Kuhn says some ancient thinkers did try to offer a solution (see pp. 55-70). One was “the theory of homocentric spheres” (embraced by Eudoxus). The other was a theory of “deferents and epicycles” (embraced by Apollonius and Hipparchus). Explain these theories and the benefits of each. (150-200 words; include at least 3 shorts quotes from the text with page numbers; 15 points) 5. Explain in your own words what an epicycle is and what it allowed ancient astronomers to explain. Keep in mind the difference between “major” and “minor” epicycles. (150-200 words; 10 points) 6. What was, according to Kuhn, Ptolemy’s real contribution to ancient astronomy? What makes Ptolemy such an important figure in the history of science? (100-150 words; 5 points) Chapter 3 (20 points) 7. Aristotle did not believe vacuums could exist in nature. What evidence did he use to support this belief? (50-100 words; 10 points) 8. Ancient Greeks had many “scientific” reasons to embrace Aristoteles’ cosmology. But Kuhn says they also had a “non-scientific argument” (p. 91) for accepting his theory. What was the non-scientific appeal of Aristotle’s cosmology? What non-scientific argument could be given in favor of it, according to Kuhn? (100-150 words; include at least 2 quote from the text with page number; 15 points) EXTRA CREDIT (Optional): Draw a timeline (with arrows and dates) depicting the major discoveries and thinkers mentioned in the chapter in chronological order. This should be a drawing or a diagram (i.e. a visual rather than textual representation). (5 points)