Good Science Victorian Curriculum Year 7

EARTH AND SPACE SCIENCES: SCIENCE AS A HUMAN ENDEAVOUR
6.4
MODELS OF THE
SOLAR SYSTEM
LEARNING INTENTION
At the end of this lesson I will be
able to explain, using examples,
how scientific knowledge and
understanding of the world
change as new evidence
becomes available.
KEY TERMS
evidence
facts and observations that can
be used to support or oppose
a theory
model
a simplified way of explaining
something complex and real
based on evidence
LITERACY LINK
VOCABULARY
The prefix geo- means earth.
Think of three words starting with
geo- and explain how they relate
to Earth.
1
The Sun has guided all living things on Earth since life began.
When looking at the sky, we can understand how early
civilisations thought the Sun and stars revolved around Earth.
The Ancient Greeks were the first people known to make
models of nature to explain patterns that they observed.
These models allowed them to try to make sense of the
world around them using reasoning.
The geocentric model put Earth at the centre
of the universe
Perhaps the first model of the solar system was the geocentric model,
which stated that Earth was at the centre of the universe. The word
geocentric comes from ‘geo’ (Earth) and ‘centric’ (centred).
Aristotle (384–323 BCE) was one of the earliest known writers on
astronomy. His observations were made with only the naked eye.
He argued that:
• Earth was a sphere at the centre of the universe
• the planets and the Sun orbited on many perfect and unchanging
spheres
• these spheres revolved around the unmoving Earth.
Claudius Ptolemy (100–175 CE) was
another early philosopher and scientist.
He supported the idea that Earth was
at the centre of the universe, but he
suggested that the planets and the Sun
revolved around a point outside Earth.
What are the main features
of the geocentric model?
NUMERACY LINK
CALCULATION
Earth has a radius of 6378 km,
while the planet Neptune has a
radius of 24 776 km.
Create a ratio in its simplest form
to compare Earth’s radius to
Neptune’s.
Figure 6.8 Stonehenge is a circle of
standing stones in England, built about
5000 years ago. It was probably used as
a calendar and a way to predict solstices.
Figure 6.9 In the geocentric
model, Earth was at the centre of
the universe and the planets and
the Sun revolved around it.
96 GOOD SCIENCE VICTORIAN CURRICULUM 7