HISTORY OF THE COSMOLOGICAL MODELS Article by Vincent Domínguez Pepa Llorca and professors of the Institute Las Viñas de Manilva (Malaga) and followers of this blog.
Created for a film Agora activities for the students of 4 º ESO
The second part of this content are questions about the film. Can be used by teachers of History, Philosophy, Science, Technology, etc. for application to the ESO
HISTORY cosmological models Since antiquity, humankind has devised several models of the universe. In traditional cultures that developed around the Mediterranean predominated following:
who might call "Aristotelian model, although Aristotle was neither the only nor the first to defend him, was the most accepted until s. II of our era:
The Universe (Cosmos) is enclosed in a large sphere (sphere of fixed stars or sky). Within it everything is sorted (Cosmos: order) while outside there is only chaos (disorder).
is a geocentric system: Earth (Gaia) is spherical and is, still, as we see by our senses-in the center of the cosmos.
There are two kinds of stars: the fixed stars and wandering or planets (planet: wandering).
The fixed stars are so called because invariable positions relative to each other, thanks to which the figures are "constellations" are permanent. But they move together, because they are in the sky, which revolves around the Earth from east to west in uniform circular motion. At the roving
(planets) are so named because they move with respect to fixed: they seem to wander or roam the skies. The seven planets of antiquity are thus: Moon, Mercury, Venus, Sol, Mars, Jupiter and Saturn. Each is on a transparent sphere. These are all concentric spheres (all have at its center the center of the Cosmos, who is also the center of the Earth) and rotate from east to west around the Earth but with different speeds and on different axes.
On Earth and its atmosphere-sublunary world, everything is imperfect, changeable, corruptible, perishable. All things are made of the four elements earth, water, air and fire-combined in different proportions.
In supralunar heaven-world-everything is perfect, unchanging, incorruptible, eternal. The only movement possible is the uniform circular motion (constant speed), which has no beginning or end and that never changes, making it the most perfect. The stars and their areas are made of the "fifth element "or" quintessential "ether.
This model could not explain several observed facts, particularly two:
The change in size and brightness of the "planets", which seemed to indicate that sometimes were closer to the Earth and other further.
The retrograde motion of some planets: sometimes reverse the direction of their march across the heavens for a few days, and then retake the usual sense.
The "Ptolemaic model" proposed by Claudius Ptolemy (second century AD) to offer an explanation to what the Aristotelian model could not explain. Model was accepted at Hypatia lived in (IV - V AD), which exposes it to his disciples at the beginning of the film, and the corresponding model developed by Davo.
He kept all the premises of the previous model, but also assumed that the planets moved on small circles, epicycles, whose centers were moved to points that turn on other large circles, deferens, which were revolving around the Earth. Thus, the apparent path of the planets is circular but in loops, which explains their varying distance and direction changes. Maintained the idea that the only possible movement in the heavens was circular uniform.
This model worked very well, and was used to s. XVI, but, as noted by Orestes in the film, is a "capricious", artificial, seemed just a trick, which did not satisfy many intellectuals, convinced that the laws of nature "should be simple."
The "heliocentric model" Aristarchus of Samos (II c). Supposed to be the Sun that was in the center of the cosmos and the Earth and other planets revolved around him, of course, uniform circular motion. It was not widely accepted because no one "saw that the earth moved." He managed to explain variation distances of almost all the planets relative to Earth, but not for the Sun
Already in the sixteenth century AD, Nicolaus Copernicus in his De revolutionibus Orbium Coelestium in 1543, again proposed a heliocentric model. This model was declared heretical by the Catholic Church, which banned reading and disseminating the works of Copernicus. Galileo and other intellectuals suffered persecution and repression to defend it. However, this new model was quickly and widely accepted, especially after Galileo Galilei furnish arguments in its favor:
Galileo was the first to use the telescope to systematically observe the stars. Found mountains and valleys on the moon, and sunspots on the Sun, which called into question in heaven "everything was perfect."
discovered four satellites of Jupiter, "Jupiter's moons" or "Lunas Medicaid." By revealing that revolved around Jupiter, showed that not all the stars had to turn around the Earth.
discovered that Venus had phases like the Moon (Venus waxing, full, waning and new), which is possible only if Venus revolves around the sun
refuted the false idea that if the earth moved, the objects would fall behind the vertical extent that were released, suggesting the experiment bag falling from the top of the mast of a moving boat. The film is attributed to Hypatia this show, which has no historical foundation.
for its attitude of placing more emphasis on the experimental evidence that the "logic or common sense" and that the reputation or authority of the great thinkers and religions, Galileo is considered the founder of the scientific method and " father of science. "
The widespread use of the telescope, and there were more and better astronomical observations. Analyzing this data, Johannes Kepler, discovered and published between 1609 and 1619 that the planets move in orbits around the sun not circular, but elliptical. Thus ended forever the old myth that the movement of the stars had to be circular and uniform.
still remained on the fundamental question: What were the forces that made the stars were moving as well? The solution to this problem provided Isaac Newton, who at the end of s. XVII enunciated the law of universal gravitation and the three principles of dynamics. These laws explain both circular and elliptical movements of the stars as the straight-line movements of falling bodies on Earth. Newton Thus ended the alleged separation or fundamental difference between heaven and earth, uniting the "two worlds" under the same laws that govern everything. For this achievement, and the rest of his work, Newton is considered the most important scientist in history.
current models of the universe is not geocentric and heliocentric. The Earth and all planets in the solar system revolve around the sun, but this is only one star among hundreds of thousands that exist in our galaxy, the Milky Way. And this is only one among many millions of other galaxies in the Universe. There are no points to be the "center" or what is, any item can be considered the center.
In 1929 Edwin Hubble discovered that the universe is expanding, so that extrapolating backwards in time, is thought to have begun from a single point in a huge explosion-the Big Bang should have happened a few fifteen billion years. Maybe the universe will continue expanding forever or may come a time when the force of gravity slow down the expansion and the universe begins to contract to concentrate on a single point or "big black hole." Science continues to investigate this issue, and also is seeking the "grand unified theory" that gets to explain all the forces and phenomena of the universe.
ÁGORA - CUESTIONARIO SOBRE LA PELÍCULA Nombre……………………………………………..………………………………..……….……..Grupo…….…
1. Define el concepto “ágora”, que da título a la película. ¿Qué era? ¿Cuál era su función?
2. En la película aparecen y conviven tres religiones diferentes. ¿Cuáles son?
3. Comenta la siguiente frase de la peli Hypatia says the bishop (who had been his pupil): "You can not question your faith, I must do it."
4. In Carl Sagan's Cosmos series covers virtually the Library of Alexandria. She says: "There was in the Library of Alexandria a community of scholars exploring physics, literature, medicine, astronomy, geography, philosophy, mathematics, biology and engineering." Research
who they were, what each of them found and highlighted what field of knowledge.
5. The following makes a biography of Hypatia by Socrates Scholastic, the ancient author closer to the facts. After reading it, finds out the meaning of the terms that appear in bold:
Hypatia (IV-V century AD) was a mathematician, astronomer and philosopher, leader of the Neoplatonic School of Alexandria. Trained a select school of pagan and Christian aristocrats who occupied senior positions, among them the bishop Synesius and Orestes, who was imperial prefect of Egypt when he died Hypatia. Daughter and disciple of the astronomer Theon, mathematics is the first woman in the history of humanity of which we have certain knowledge. Wrote books on geometry, algebra and astronomy, and improved design ancient astrolabes, and invented a hydrometer. He died at 45 or 60 years, lynched by a mob of Christians in an environment of hostility toward the declining paganism. His death was a cause of great embarrassment to the Patriarch Cyril of Alexandria and the Church. After this, Orestes gave up the fight and left Alexandria for good.
6. Literary sources tell and the death of Hypatia:
"All men are revered and admired by his singular modesty and intelligence. So it raised a great envy, and often chatted with Orestes because people accused him of being the cause of Orestes and the Bishop did not become friends. Some fans, radical and violent saw when he went to work. Dragged into the church, stripped her, tore the skin and flesh armed with sharp shells until the soul left the body. Dismembered the remains and took the pieces to a place where they burned to ashes. "
How does his death in the movie?
7. In the movie there are several scenes showing the Christians, Jews and the pagans as violent and fanatical, despising and persecuting those who do not share their faith. There is also a scene where you see Christians behaving so charitable and compassionate to the needy. A Hypatia, the unbeliever, the film presents her as a person almost always fair, kind and peaceful, but eventually also loses his temper Davo idiot calling, and sometimes shows how little respect you deserve the slaves, which almost does not consider people.
a) Remember the scenes that referred to in the preceding paragraph.
b) Do you think the writers and director have been fair, or have wanted to attack, or defend, any of the listed religious options, or option to the Hypatia represented by non-believers?
c) What is your opinion on this?: Do you think any religion, or atheism, is more violent, fanatical, kind and compassionate to others? Why?
8. What does "geocentric model of the Universe" and "heliocentric model of the Universe"? Research
their meanings and draw a diagram of each one of them (use compass, and give them color.)
9. At the beginning of the film, Hypatia argues that "the people, animals, objects and slaves ... remain on the floor because ... they are stepping on the very center of the Cosmos, who holds all things and also attracts them. " Today science explained otherwise. What is the actual explanation?
10. What do stars relate the characters in the film when they talk of "wandering"?
11. The accepted model of universe that science today, is geocentric or heliocentric? Describe briefly. (In fact referred to several possible models, but all believe that the universe began with the Big Bang).
Morning sessions start of the new film that Renoir cinemas offered in subtitled original version on Thursdays of each month. In May U.S. production is projected Howl, the voice of a generation (Howl, 2010), directed by Rob Epstein and Jeffrey Friedman , which premiered March 25 but not in Zaragoza. The film was made in the Berlin Film Festival 2010. 
