CSC 1250 Chapter : Sky23
Document Summary
There exists a natural explanation for observed reality: the world is comprehensible, consistent physical laws. Science seeks to build a model that can explain reality: prefer simplest models. Models must be tested against reality: predict new observations, be prepared to reject failed models. Models that pass every test eventually are termed theories or laws : e. g. Einstein"s theory of relativity or newton"s laws of motion. Never stop testing: scientists can prove a model is wrong, but never that it is right, even laws of physics can be overturned. You see events as soon as they happen. White light is actually a mix of many different colors. Objects that move towards or away from you appear a different color. Does light travel instantaneously: galileo and newton both wanted to know this. It takes one year to travel one light year: eight minutes from the sun to earth.
