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This test consists of 5 short answer questions, 10 short essay questions, and 1 (of 3) essay topics.

Short Answer Questions

1. When did Eudoxus of Cnidus attend the Academy in Athens?

2. Legend had it that Galileo dropped what off the tower of Pisa to illustrate that all objects fell at the same rate of speed?

3. The last great Western scientist before the Dark Ages was whom, according to the author?

4. Who was the first astronomer to suggest a solar-centered planetary system?

5. Who cited the scriptures where Joshua "commanded the sun to stand still, and not the earth" in Chapter 4: "The Sun Worshipers"?

Short Essay Questions

1. What did Tycho witness in 1572 that influenced his ideas, according to the author in Chapter 4: "The Sun Worshipers"?

2. What aspects of the cosmos confused ancient astronomers, according to the author in Chapter 1: "The Dome of Heaven"?

3. What did Galileo attempt do bring physics into the study of in Chapter 5: "The World in Retrograde"?

4. What interests did Isaac Newton have in addition to science, according to the author in Chapter 6: "Newton's Reach"?

5. What achievements did Eudoxus go on to accomplish after his studies? Who did he influence, according to the author in Chapter 1: "The Dome of Heaven"?

6. How does the author describe early models of the universe in Chapter 2: "Raising (and Lowering) the Roof"?

7. What had remained a major problem for explorers at sea as described by the author in Chapter 7: "A Plumb Line to the Sun"?

8. How does the author describe the work and theories of Claudius Ptolemy in Chapter 1: "The Dome of Heaven"?

9. How did the concept of inertia change the image of the cosmos, according to the author in Chapter 2: "Raising (and Lowering) the Roof"?

10. What sparked the reawakening of interest in the cosmos, according to the author in Chapter 3: "The Discovery of the Earth"?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Describe and discuss the work of William Parsons, Isaac Roberts and James Keeler. Who developed the nebular hypothesis? How is it defined? What are the two theories about elliptical nebulae and who developed them?

Essay Topic 2

Describe and discuss the discovery of nebulae, Immanuel Kant, and Johann Lambert. What are the three classes of nebulae and when were they defined as such? Who were the primary influences to each of these individuals? How did these historical thinkers differ in their ideas? How were they similar?

Essay Topic 3

Analyze and discuss the theories of Isaac Newton, Rene Descartes, and Plato. How was Newton influenced by Descartes and Plato? What advancements did Newton make on the theories of the earlier astronomers and philosophers? Also discuss Newton's fascinations with religion, alchemy and magic. How did these interests conflict with his scientific interests?

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