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1.2 Models of Reality Where does the Sun go? At a very young age, infants learn to go from simple observations to mental models of what they are observing. The simplest sort of model is called object permanence and just means that something can be hidden or out of sight and still exist. urement?
In the case of the Sun rising and setting, this model suggests that it is always the same Sun, which means that the Sun must somehow get back to the eastern horizon after setting in the west. Most primitive cultures came up with a modelof the Suns motion that looks something like this:
Perhaps the Sun was transported under the flat Earth in a boat. This model made definite predictions about possible observations. Since the Sun spends part of its time in the underworld and part of its time flying through the sky, it should not be possible for anyone to see the Sun circle the sky without setting and it should not be possible for anyone to have a day without a sunrise ndel The ancient Greeks are credited with the idea that this kind of prediction should be taken seriously. A worthwhile model of a situation must reproduce what is actually observed-It must save the appearances h? really do the measurement The Greeks probably did not get a chance to compare notes about sunrise and sunset with travelers ody know that? from north of the Arctic Circle, but they did note that travelers from Egypt reported seeing stars that
The Spherical Earth Model How does one come up with a model that can predict the results of observations? Pythagoras (born in 570 BCE) guessed that the Earth must be shaped like a sphere because that is the most elegant and harmonious shape that he could think of.It is not clear that observation played much of a role in his thinking except possibly by analogy: He could see that the Moon is round, so why not the Earth? The flat Earth model was not necessarily rejected because it predicted things that did not agree with observation, It was rejected because it was ugly in go? th Model ments In modern terms, the nice thing about a spherical Earth model is that it has no edge and only one number is needed to specify the model completely, the radius R of the sphere. This type of model, with very few adjustable features, is regarded as elegant because it is risky. It makes definite predictions. If it is wrong, observations will show that right away arth? es really do the measurement? ybody know that
A flat Earth would have an edge of completely unknown shape and that would need far more than a single number to specify it. Such a model is regarded as messy and ugly because its adjustable features make it difficult to test if you go looking for the edge of the Earth and do not find it, a defender of this model can just say that you did not go far enough
At midsummer in Murmansk iwhich is the largest city north of the Arctic Circle),the Sun stays above the horizon for several days. This observation would conflict with the predictions of a model of the Suns motion that has the Sun OA moving around the Earth OBmovingover and under a flat Earth n go? th Model OCremaining still while the Earth goes around the Sun
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