Lesson test: How the argument ended

1.[3p]
The earth moves at 29.79 km/s and light at 299792 km/s. What aberration angle does that give, in arcseconds?

CorrectNot quite: 20.5

2.[3p]
How did Bradley know his 20 arcsecond shift was not parallax?

It peaked a quarter of a year away from where parallax would peak, tracking the earth's velocity rather than its position

Correct

It was far too small to be parallax

The answer is: It peaked a quarter of a year away from where parallax would peak, tracking the earth's velocity rather than its position

It appeared only in winter

The answer is: It peaked a quarter of a year away from where parallax would peak, tracking the earth's velocity rather than its position

It was the same for stars at different distances, which parallax also predicts

The answer is: It peaked a quarter of a year away from where parallax would peak, tracking the earth's velocity rather than its position

3.[3p]
Why is aberration the same for every star while parallax is not?

Aberration depends only on the observer's speed, while parallax depends on the star's distance

Correct

Aberration depends on the star's brightness, which varies little

The answer is: Aberration depends only on the observer's speed, while parallax depends on the star's distance

Parallax depends on the observer's speed and aberration on position

The answer is: Aberration depends only on the observer's speed, while parallax depends on the star's distance

Both depend on distance, but aberration is easier to measure

The answer is: Aberration depends only on the observer's speed, while parallax depends on the star's distance

4.[3p]
Bessel measured a parallax of 0.314 arcseconds for 61 Cygni. What distance does that give, in light years?

CorrectNot quite: 10.4

5.[3p]
A Foucault pendulum stands at latitude 48.87 degrees. How many degrees per hour does its swing plane turn?

CorrectNot quite: 11.3

6.[2p]
A Foucault pendulum shows no rotation of its swing plane at the equator.

True

Correct

False

The answer is: True

7.[3p]
What actually ended the argument about the earth's motion?

A network of independent quantitative agreements, well before any direct evidence of the motion existed

Correct

Bessel's measurement of stellar parallax in 1838

The answer is: A network of independent quantitative agreements, well before any direct evidence of the motion existed

The Church's removal of the prohibition in 1758

The answer is: A network of independent quantitative agreements, well before any direct evidence of the motion existed

Foucault's pendulum in 1851

The answer is: A network of independent quantitative agreements, well before any direct evidence of the motion existed

8.[3p]
Which of these were among the practices actually built between 1543 and 1687?

Select all that apply

Instruments that state the size of their own errors

Correct

Controls run alongside an experiment to exclude the obvious alternative

Correct

Predictions of numbers, so that a theory can fail by an amount

Correct

Publication with dates, witnesses and rebuildable descriptions of apparatus

Correct

A single agreed method of hypothesis and experiment that all practitioners followed

The answer is: Instruments that state the size of their own errors, Controls run alongside an experiment to exclude the obvious alternative, Predictions of numbers, so that a theory can fail by an amount, Publication with dates, witnesses and rebuildable descriptions of apparatus

9.[3p]
Which of these qualifications to the usual story are accurate?

Select all that apply

The phrase Scientific Revolution was popularised in the twentieth century, not used at the time

Correct

The mean speed theorem was proved in the fourteenth century

Correct

Copernicus used geometrical devices found earlier in the work of Maragha astronomers

Correct

Newton wrote more on alchemy and biblical chronology than on physics

Correct

The participants agreed among themselves on a single method

The answer is: The phrase Scientific Revolution was popularised in the twentieth century, not used at the time, The mean speed theorem was proved in the fourteenth century, Copernicus used geometrical devices found earlier in the work of Maragha astronomers, Newton wrote more on alchemy and biblical chronology than on physics

1.[3p] The earth moves at 29.79 km/s and light at 299792 km/s. What aberration angle does that give, in arcseconds?

2.[3p] How did Bradley know his 20 arcsecond shift was not parallax?

3.[3p] Why is aberration the same for every star while parallax is not?

4.[3p] Bessel measured a parallax of 0.314 arcseconds for 61 Cygni. What distance does that give, in light years?

5.[3p] A Foucault pendulum stands at latitude 48.87 degrees. How many degrees per hour does its swing plane turn?

6.[2p] A Foucault pendulum shows no rotation of its swing plane at the equator.

7.[3p] What actually ended the argument about the earth's motion?

8.[3p] Which of these were among the practices actually built between 1543 and 1687?

9.[3p] Which of these qualifications to the usual story are accurate?

1.[3p]
The earth moves at 29.79 km/s and light at 299792 km/s. What aberration angle does that give, in arcseconds?

2.[3p]
How did Bradley know his 20 arcsecond shift was not parallax?

3.[3p]
Why is aberration the same for every star while parallax is not?

4.[3p]
Bessel measured a parallax of 0.314 arcseconds for 61 Cygni. What distance does that give, in light years?

5.[3p]
A Foucault pendulum stands at latitude 48.87 degrees. How many degrees per hour does its swing plane turn?

6.[2p]
A Foucault pendulum shows no rotation of its swing plane at the equator.

7.[3p]
What actually ended the argument about the earth's motion?

8.[3p]
Which of these were among the practices actually built between 1543 and 1687?

9.[3p]
Which of these qualifications to the usual story are accurate?