Re: Thoughts on geocentrism
Steve Clark (ssclark@facstaff.wisc.edu)
Thu, 5 Oct 1995 11:17:28 -0500>
>Maybe this is a simplistic observation, but I've never really taken the
>notion of geocentrism seriously, so I've never really thought about its
>possible validity. However, this issue bears directly on orbital
>mechanics, which is based on the concept of a central force. When a
>particle is within the sphere of influence of a massive body, the
>gravity of that body affects the particle's motion. For decades now we
>have been designing trajectories for interplanetary spacecraft using
>orbital mechanics based on the observation that the sun is the dominant
>body in the solar system. Clearly, the motion of objects in the solar
>system (beyond close proximity to the earth) is primarily determined by
>the influence of the sun (neglecting higher order effects from planetary
>gravity). Doesn't that invalidate geocentrism?
I bet the guys who went to the moon think so!
Steve
>
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____________________________________________________________________________
Steven S. Clark, Ph.D. Phone: (608) 263-9137
Associate Professor FAX: (608) 263-4226
Dept. of Human Oncology and email: ssclark@facstaff.wisc.edu
UW Comprehensive Cancer Ctr
University of Wisconsin
Madison, WI 53792
"...a university is a collection of disparate academic entrepreneurs united
only by a common grievance over parking." Clark Kerr, former Chancellor
of the Univ. of California
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