Kepler s Laws 2/18/1996 lots and lots and lots of math

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Keplers Laws
2/18/1996
lots and lots and lots of math.
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Goal

• Is astrology a science?
• Why should we care?
• Kepler Astrologer turned Astronomer.
• Keplers Laws.
• Proof of Keplers Laws.
• Planets around other stars.

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Recap

• Science is about making theories.
• Scientific theories
• Explain what is already seen
• Predict what can be seen in the future.
• Predictions can be falsified.

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Astrology

• The date, time, (and place) of birth affect
• Your personality
• Your actions
• Events that will affect your life
• Horoscopes appear in most papers.
• Millions of people read them daily.

http//www.azcentral.com/ent/horoscopes/astrology1
01.html
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Astrology

• Is it a science?
• Explain what is seen?
• Make predictions?
• Does it work?
• What test would falsify astrology?
• Does it matter?

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Astrology and the President

• (TIME, May 16, 1988) --
• The First Lady dabbled in astrology as far back
  as 1967. In 1981 Joan Quigley made Nancy a
  believer . And from then on, no presidential
  public appearance was slated without the Friend's
  say-so. To this day, Nancy's Friend continues to
  influence the President's schedule. For the
  Reagan-Gorbachev Washington summit, she cast the
  charts of both men and determined

Former White House Chief of Staff, Donald
Regan and others make a compelling case that in
1986 and 1987 astrological influence dramatically
reduced the presidency's effectiveness, at least
partly, by keeping Ronald Reagan under wraps for
much of the time. Nancy's intrusions in the
scheduling process, Regan said in an interview
with TIME last week, began to interfere with the
normal conduct of the presidency. (TIME, May
16, 1988)

• that 2 p.m. on Dec. 8, 1987, was the most
  propitious moment for them to sign the
  intermediate-range nuclear forces treaty. At
  Nancy's behest, the entire summit was built
  around that hour. For the upcoming Moscow summit,
  Gorbachev's chart (he is a Pisces) has been
  recast alongside Reagan's (Aquarius).

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It Works
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Mars
Courtesy NASA/JPL/Cornell
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Orbital Mechanics
Courtesy David Crisp and WFPC2 Science Team
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Keplers Laws

• Orbits are always ellipses.
• Sweep out equal areas in equal times.
• The period of orbit is related to average
  separation.

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Astrology to Astronomy

• Kepler was an astrologer.
• Looked for Perfect Solids
• Wants did not match with Observations (tests).
• Followed the facts where they led.
• The result works.

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Class Structure

• Investigate 4 Key Topics this semester
• Extrasolar Planets
• Black Holes
• The Big Bang
• SETI

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Class Structure

• During each topic
• Pieces in a puzzle.
• Many pieces in several topics
• At the end of each topic
• See how pieces fit.
• See how the scientific method is applied
• What is the evidence
• Have a test.

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Homework 3

• For Lab this week
• Read Bennett chapter 1.1 1.2
• (B1.1 1.2 on Physics 103 lecture web page)
• For Thursday 1/22
• Read Ty7, Ty8, B6.1 6.3
• Do B6 Problems 1, 2, 3, 7, 15
• (PHYS 170 replace problem 15 with 20a,b)