How did Tycho Brahe and Kepler employ the scientific method?
1 Answer
At the time of Brahe and Kepler in the late 16th and early 17th centuries, religious arguments had great influence, but rigorous data collection and analysis were gaining in importance.
Tycho Brahe determined, more precisely than ever before, the motions of the stars and planets, especially of Mars.
He searched for stellar parallax, the apparent movement of nearby stars against a distant background. He found none.
He concluded that the Earth was motionless at the center of the Universe.
Tycho Brahe employed the scientific method because he
- asked questions about the motions of stars and planets
- determined the precise motions of these bodies
- analyzed his data
- drew a conclusion
- published his ideas
Brahe's conclusion was wrong but, at the time, there was no way to do an experiment to prove or disprove it.
Brahe asked his contemporary, Kepler, to work out the orbit of Mars.
After many failed attempts, Kepler thought about elliptical orbits. Brahe's Mars data fit.
Kepler concluded that all planets move in ellipses with the sun at one focus and sweeping out equal areas in equal times.
Kepler employed the scientific method because he
- asked questions about the motions of stars and planets
- used the earlier data of scientists like Brahe
- analyzed the data
- formulated a theory to explain the data
- extended the theory to other planets
- published his ideas
