Geocentric and Heliocentric


Ever wondered why the shift to a sun-centric model of the planets was so important? Forget the religious aspect of it: have you ever wondered why it should matter if we consider the sun or the earth to be at the center? After all, isn’t all motion relative?

I’ll answer that by starting with a new question: If the planets were moving around the earth, what would their orbits look like? They would be insanely complicated, with planets crisscrossing, and even reversing directions at times! This pic shows how their orbits look with a heliocentric (sun-centric) v/s geocentric (earth-centric) model:
With such weird trajectories in the geocentric model to explain, I am guessing even Newton would have struggled to apply his laws of gravitation! Copernicus’ model made the problem statement so much simpler, didn’t it?

Yet another instance of how changing your perspective can change your understanding of the universe dramatically!

Comments

  1. Ramiah KumarSeptember 26, 2018 at 6:54 PM

    The point is no doubt well made, with an effective illustration. Well, physics was all about (it was surely so during the development stage set by Galeleo, Newton and such people) resolving to simpler components to deal with the not-understandable or understandable yet bewildering when it comes to detailing ways of nature. The success of this approach is utterly outstanding and impressive beyond words. Admitted.

    But then, the story does not end here. In a way, I can sort of sadly add, it is all a thing of passe!

    Today's advanced level physics is not for common man even one little bit. Even fresh physics graduates are out of depth there. The realm is dealt by jettisoning 'understanding' in the classical sense too, but relying on such things as abstract mathematics which produces results stunningly but defies anyone's intellect if questioned, "understood?". Dimensions beyond any scope of any visualization are dealt with as if they were forever part of the same game. :-) What is more, physics is no longer into any kind of "naive belief" that "resolution into the simplest actually throws such clarity that we emerge from darkness to light".

    Physicists have actually abandoned all interest in simplicity because at the core-most level, instead of simplicity, Mother Nature seems to have reserved all those tricks to fool the intellectual giants of knowledge!

    I side with Nature because I get to share her last laugh (see I love humor). I many not be clear how well She is teasing all our brains put together, but She is a kind person who never comes in the way of my smile or laughter, which could be at the cost of any field for that matter! :-)

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