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$1000 if you can prove the Earth revolves around the Sun! |
masseur
Joined: Jan 03, 2003
Posts: > 500
From: Sydney, London
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ok here is an interesting topic I just came across. It has religious connotations but its the science angle that interests me
Catholic Apologetics International will write a check for $1,000 to the first person who can prove that the earth revolves around the sun. (If you lose, then we ask that you make a donation to the apostolate of CAI).
Now a word of caution. By "proof" we mean that your explanations must be direct, observable, physical, natural, repeatable, unambiguous and comprehensive. We don't want hearsay, popular opinion, "expert" testimony, majority vote, personal conviction, organizational rulings, superficial analogies, appeals to "simplicity," "apologies" to Galileo, or any other indirect means of persuasion which do not qualify as scientific proof.
you can read more on the linked page about the religious angle but it has certainly got me thinking about how this can be "proved" and also the wider question (of life the universerve and everything - I suppose), and a topic often discussed between my mates and I, of proving that we exist at all!
but perhaps we should start with the "easier" question of proving the Earth revolves around the Sun and get that $1000! 
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JK
Joined: Feb 24, 2005
Posts: > 500
From: S. Africa - JOZI
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Why such a small prize? Unless d donations are added... |
batesie
Joined: Feb 13, 2004
Posts: > 500
From: London, UK
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thats easy, the earth and rest of the universe all are all still, and the sun is the only lump of matter that moves...
[addsig] |
scotsboyuk
Joined: Jun 02, 2003
Posts: > 500
From: UK
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http://www.physlink.com/Education/AskExperts/ae240.cfm
"I may be drunk my dear woman, but in the morning I will be sober, and you will still be ugly." WSC |
joebmc
Joined: Jan 03, 2003
Posts: > 500
From: Kent
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Surly the stars moving through the sky prove it?
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Glenny
Joined: Feb 26, 2005
Posts: > 500
From: Mars
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that could just be the earth rotating. i guess the seasons prove it?
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scotsboyuk
Joined: Jun 02, 2003
Posts: > 500
From: UK
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I suppose that one could position a spacecraft at a sufficient distance from the Earth and Sun and have it record the movemnets of the Earth for a year in relation to the position of the Sun.
I have to ask though, is this something that can be won? Will this organisation find someway to invalidate any claim that is made? I hope not.
"I may be drunk my dear woman, but in the morning I will be sober, and you will still be ugly." WSC |
absinthebri
Joined: Feb 11, 2004
Posts: 476
From: London, UK
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I thought everything revolved around me.
[addsig] |
joebmc
Joined: Jan 03, 2003
Posts: > 500
From: Kent
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Its pretty much proving the moon goes round the sun, so surly this is the same with the earth, gravity and all that!
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masseur
Joined: Jan 03, 2003
Posts: > 500
From: Sydney, London
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@scotsboyuk, your first link is a good one but I feel that it involves a certain assumption about the stars being observed in order to provide the proof required whereas as I understand it, there can be no assumptions or variables involved in the proof
I would also say that "just because there are seasons" is not any way a scientific proof of anything! Indeed we would have seasons if the sun went around the earth!
in regards to a spacecraft observation, what proof is there that the spacecraft is stationary?
and no, the universe revolves around me, at least from my point of view 
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Jim
Joined: Jan 20, 2002
Posts: > 500
From: Belgium
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Why the moon or our satellites doesn't "fall" back to earth ? Because they have a certain speed that produce a force (centripetal) exactly the same, but in another direction, as the force of gravity from the earth. This is the same for earth vs. sun.
This is basic physics 
[ This Message was edited by: Jim on 2006-02-10 19:20 ] |
Cycovision
Joined: Nov 30, 2003
Posts: > 500
From: England
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@Jim
It is indeed, but how do you know that the sun isn't revolving around the earth rather than the other way round?
In fact, if you take Einstein's theory of special relativity into account, you could even argue that it is!
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Jim
Joined: Jan 20, 2002
Posts: > 500
From: Belgium
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Oh from this point my argument would be that mercury and venus wouldn't be so hot. If earth would be the center that means that the sun has an orbit and therefore mercury and venus would have a period of extreme cold and hot, same for the other planet's then, which isn't the case.
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Cycovision
Joined: Nov 30, 2003
Posts: > 500
From: England
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...assuming that our interpretation of the data we receive from the technology we use to observe and gauge conditions on those planets is correct. The argument goes on ad-infinitum 
It's amazing that even today, we can't actually PROVE something we know is true! It's a really clever move for a religious organisation, nobody is likely to win the challenge and it can be turned around as an argument for the existence of god (nobody can prove that the earth moves around the sun, just as nobody can prove that god doesn't exist).
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[ This Message was edited by: Cycovision on 2006-02-10 20:15 ] |
batesie
Joined: Feb 13, 2004
Posts: > 500
From: London, UK
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yeah but we can see the earth and sun moving, but we are yet to see any glimpse of god...
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[ This Message was edited by: batesie on 2006-02-10 20:55 ] |
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Posted: 2006-02-10 16:44
