1. The Who Am I Game
Heliocentric and Geocentric Models of the Solar System Interactive Game

2. What Model is this?

3. What Model is this?

4. The Who and I Game Heliocentric and Geocentric Models of the Solar System
Get ready to read, discuss, and take notes on the mathematicians, philosophers, and scientists who proposed models of the solar system.

5. Aristotle Ancient Greek Philosopher
Though the world was the center of everything
Thought Earth went around the sun due to Parallax

6. Aristarchus Greek Philosopher
Proposed a heliocentric model of the solar system
Model was not widely accepted
His contribution was his attempt to measure the relative distances between the moon and the sun.

7. Ptolemy An astronomer, geographer, and mathematician from Egypt
Wrote the Almagest, one of the few books from around CE
Based his observations on plants from over 800 years worth of data
Proposed a geocentric model
Accepted for 1400 years!!!!!
Planets moved on small circles that moved on larger circles (wheels on wheels)

8. Copernicus Polish Astronomer Did not agree with Ptolemy
Proposed a heliocentric model of the solar system
Seen as the first step in the development of the modern idea of the solar system
Was sentenced to death and later house arrest for his ideas

9. Galileo
Approached questions from what we now call the scientific method
Made improvements to the telescope
Observed the moons of Jupiter
Showed that Earth is not the only object that could be orbited
This supported the heliocentric model of the solar system
Also observed the phases of Venus, similar to the phases we see the moon go through

10. Kepler A German Mathematician and astronomer
Did not agree with circular motion of planets
Found that ellipses fit best
He formulated three principles, Kepler’s Laws.
1. Planets orbits are elliptical
2. Planets move faster when closer to the sun
3. Relates the distance of a planet from the sun to the time it takes to go once around its orbit

11. Kepler A German Mathematician and astronomer
Did not agree with circular motion of planets
Found that ellipses fit best
He formulated three principles, Kepler’s Laws.
1. Planets orbits are elliptical
2. Planets move faster when closer to the sun
3. Relates the distance of a planet from the sun to the time it takes to go once around its orbit

12. The Who and I Game Heliocentric and Geocentric Models of the Solar System
Directions:
1. Use what your notes, what you know, to determine which scientist and model is being described.

13. Who am I? What Model Did I Propose?
I lived over 2300 years ago. I am not an astronomer, but I have collected data from my own observations of the sky made with my own eyes, not assisted by any kind of technology. Based upon these observations, I created a model where the sun, moon, and planets are placed in a series of circles around the Earth. In fact, if the Earth did revolve around the sun, and it does not, the relative position of the stars would change in the sky would change, and they do not. Who am I?

14. Who am I? What Model Did I Propose?
I, like many other great scientists before me, studied many different things in my lifetime. I am a mathematician, a physicist, and even an astronomer. I, while did not propose either a geo or heliocentric model of our great solar system, some of my inventive improvements to a very important tool, the telescope, helped push disciplines like astronomy forward. With my telescope I was able to see things such as sunspots, the phases of Venus (yes, Venus and not our spectacular moon), and even a supernova! One of my telescopes sits in Florence, Italy. And, my namesake, a telescope, gave humanity many spectacular and awe-inspiring photos of what may lie beyond our solar system. Who am I?

15. Who am I? What Model Did I Propose?
I am an astronomer. I studied the models of our great solar system from all of the great philosophers, mathematicians, and astronomers that came before me. One model, a sun-centered model, made a lot of sense to me. I also made my own observations and collected my data with my own eyes. Another model that made a lot of sense to me was one that based the location of plants, stars, and moons in a series of circles within circles or wheels-on-wheels models. And, my new, sun-centered model based upon evidence from my observations and the work of other scientists, made a lot of sense. My observations and data have been accepted as s significant advancement to science. Who am I?

16. Who am I? What Model Did I Propose?
I wear many hats. I am an astronomer, a mathematician, and a geographer, and writer. There are many things, based upon both my observations and data and those that came well before me, I have learned about our great solar system. For me, planets, stars, and moons travel at constant speeds and in mathematically perfect circles. In fact, planets, stars, and moons travel in smaller circles within larger circles, within even larger circles, of course, all around us here on Earth. You might even call this a wheels-on-wheels system. Therefore, my model and my writing, were used to make accurate predictions about the motion of the plants in our great solar system many years in the future. In fact, my model and writings were used for well over 1400 years. Who am I?

17. Who am I? What Model Did I Propose?
I love math. I use my observations and data made with my own eyes, not with any additional technology, to try to measure the distance between the earth and the moon. This work ended up becoming a contribution to Science. Further, I was taught that the Earth is the center of our great solar system. However, I have a different idea. Instead, based again on my evidence, my observations and data, I proposed a heliocentric model. Sadly, this model was widely rejected. Who am I?

18. Who am I? What Model Did I Propose?
I have studied many different things in my lifetime. I am a mathematician and an astronomer. I studied the work of philosophers, mathematicians, and astronomers who came before me. And, I learned a lot. However, some of this learning simply did not sit well with me based upon my own observations. I had a hard time thinking that plants traveled within perfect circles (or wheels within wheels). Instead, based upon evidence from my 8 years of observations of Mars, I proposed three laws about planetary movement. Who am I?