GEO 1111 Lecture Notes - Lecture 1: Geocentric Model, Deferent And Epicycle, Uniformitarianism

• School: University of Ottawa
• Department: Geology
• Course: GEO 1111
• Professor: David Schneider

Document Summary

Principle of uniformitarianism: the geological processes that are happening now, have been happening for at least the last 3. 8 billion years. Devises model accounts for set of observations and used to make predictions. Consists of 1 sun and 8 or 9 planets with satellites around the planets and various things flying around. Geocentric theory: aristotle proposed that everything revolved around the earth. Challenged by aristarchus saying this did not explain retrograde motion. Retrograde is the opposite motion we would expect. Didn"t have an explanation for what was actually occurring. Ptolemy proposed that planets have their own orbits (epicycles) Copernicus said the earth is probably not the center because of the retrograde motions of the other planets and that the sun sits on its axis providing the sun rise and sunset and the 4 seasons. Kepler came up with the law of ellipses, the law of orbital harmony and the law of equal areas.