Villalobos Eamon Barkhordarian

Period C 9/25/08

Review Questions pg.57

1. Identify
a. Nicolaus Copernicus
i. The Polish scholar that proposed the heliocentric theory, in where
the sun was at the center of the universe, not Earth, for the first time.
Most experts rejected his heliocentric theory, for if he was right, the
whole system of human knowledge might have been called into
question.
b. Johannes Kepler
i. Tycho Brahe’s assistant and a brilliant astronomer and
mathematician. After Brahe’s death, he used Brahe’s data to
calculate the orbits of the planets revolving around the sun. He also
showed that each planet did not revolve in a perfect circle, but rather
in an oval shape called an ellipse.
c. Galileo Galilei
i. A famous Italian that assembled an astronomical telescope. He
concluded the same things that Copernicus came up with as well,
and as a result, causing uproar because his results contradicted
ancient views about the world.
d. Francis Bacon
i. An Englishman that stressed experimentation and observation. He
wanted science to make life better for people by leading to practical
technologies.
e. Rene Descartes
i. A Frenchman whom emphasized human reasoning as the best road
to understanding. He tried to discard all traditional authorities and
searched for provable knowledge. He is often recognized by his
famous quote, “I think, therefore I am.”
f. Isaac Newton
i. A genius that used mathematics to show that a single force keeps the
planets in their orbits around the sun. He called this force gravity. He
also helped an important new branch of mathematics: calculus.
g. Robert Boyle
i. A person that distinguished between individual and chemical
compounds. He also explained the effect of temperature and pressure
on gases. His work opened the way to modern chemical analysis of
the composition of matter.
2. Define
a. Heliocentric
i. The theory that puts the Sun at the center of the solar system.
b. Hypothesis
i. A possible explanation.
c. Scientific Method
Villalobos Eamon Barkhordarian
Period C 9/25/08

i. A process that is the basis for scientific inquiry. The scientific

method follows a series of steps
d. Gravity
i. the attraction due to gravitation that the Earth or another
astronomical object exerts on an object on or near its surface
3. Why did some people oppose the heliocentric theory of the universe?
a. All scientific knowledge and many religious thinkings were based on
arguments developed by classical thinkers. Most experts rejected his
heliocentric theory, for if he was right, the whole system of human
knowledge might have been called into question.
4. How did the scientific method differ from the earlier approaches?
a. The new approach required scientists to collect and accurately measure
data. They had to use reasoning to propose a logical hypothesis. Complex
mathematical calculations were use to convert the observations and
experiments into scientific laws.
5. How did Newton try to explain the workings of the universe?
a. He published a book explaining the law of gravity and other workings of
the universe. He believed nature follows uniform laws. All motion in the
universe can be measured and described mathematically.