|
Structure
Interesting Questions, Facts and Information
- There are a total of 115 general entries. We are selecting 30 for display.
Special Topics
|
 Interesting Questions, Facts, and Information
 History of Science
Giordano Bruno. Bruno was given the option to retract his 'heretic views' publicly, but unlike Galileo in 1633, chose not to, and was burned at the stake.
1687. The first edition was published in Latin.
| Which of Einstein's theories was published first, the special, or general theory of relativity? | Modern Science History
|
Special . His general theory of relativity was published in 1916, and his special theory was published in 1905.
On the origin of species.
| Who postulated the theory that magnetic fields are produced both by changing electric fields and by electric currents? | Modern Science History
|
| On which islands did Charles Darwin notice the discrepancy between the development of different species of finches ? | Modern Science History
|
| Which ancient Greek philosopher is credited with describing the geocentric theory of the universe? | Modern Science History
|
| Astronomy could very well be mankind's oldest science, though it is unsure when the very inquisitive phase of this science began. A number of ancient civilizations lay claim base on archaeological records for being the first scientific astronomers. As far back as the fifth millennium B.C., Europeans were building megalithic structures that were possibly used for astronomical observation. In what modern country can the ancient megaliths of Carnac be found? | History of Astronomy - Part 1
|
France. It is believed that the menhirs (large, carved stone blocks) at Carnac were arranged in such a way that they were aligned with objects in the sky. The same can be said for the monoliths at Stonehenge in England, among many others. However, the true nature of these objects may never be known.
| The Dresden Codex is a record of another civilization's early attempts to make sense of the sky above us. With which ancient civilization is this document associated? | History of Astronomy - Part 1
|
Mayan. There is some archaeological evidence to suggest that the Mayans were the first people to seriously examine the night sky. The Dresden Codex includes solar eclipse tables, and observations of comets, the planets and other night sky events. In addition, it sets out the Mayan calendar.
| Which ancient civilization of Mesopotamia is credited with establishing the collection of star signs that we call the zodiac? | History of Astronomy - Part 1
|
Chaldeans. The Chaldeans, who commanded Babylon for a period during ancient times, were some of the greatest ancient scientists. They advanced upon the Egyptian calendar system, establishing the current system which we use wherein 60 seconds equals a minute, and 60 minutes an hour. They also developed the zodiac (Gr., circle of animals) that we use today, though the names of the signs were different.
| We now turn to the Greeks, who began seriously inquiring about the nature of the cosmos during the 6th century B.C. Greek science was ushered in by Thales of Miletus, a philosopher/scientist who was said to have predicted a solar eclipse in which seminal year for astronomy? | History of Astronomy - Part 1
|
585 B.C.. Thales traveled extensively to both Babylon and Egypt, and probably borrowed well-established methods of calculating solar eclipse events from those civilizations. His accurate prediction helped establish Thales as a well-respected man of science, and his pupils furthered his inquiry into mathematics, physics and the heavens.
| Though Thales was a well-established man of science and philosophy, he did not understand the nature of the Earth, believing it to be a disk shaped object floating on water. Around 500 B.C. the Earth was first proposed to be spherical in nature. This assertion is associated with which Greek philosopher/mathematician (or his followers)?
| History of Astronomy - Part 1
|
Pythagoras. The Pythagoreans are typically awarded the distinction of being the first thinkers to have accepted the idea that Earth is spherical in nature, and everything that this idea entails. However, the Pythagoreans did not suggest that the Earth revolved around the sun; this would have to wait for a later date.
| Which ancient thinker from Tenedos is associated with bringing the solar calendar and the zodiac to the Greek world from Mesopotamia? | History of Astronomy - Part 1
|
Cleostratus. Cleostratus is a lesser-known figure of ancient Greek science, possibly because he did not make innovations in any of the sciences, but was merely the transporter of knowledge from Babylonia. He was active around 520 B.C., another traveler to the Fertile Crescent (notice a trend here?)
Greeks. Around 600-400 B.C., early philosophers postulated that there was one primary matter that everything was composed of. Water, fire, and air were all candidates for this basic elemental matter.
Democritus. Born in 460 B.C., Democritus said that the prime matter was composed of a large number of indivisible atoms and that change could be explained through the particles' motion in a void.
water; fire; earth; air. Empedocles said that these were more than the everyday observational species. They were the 'essence' of which tangible things were the most illustrative examples.
Changing base metals into gold. Depending on the period and region in which it was sought, the Philosopher's Stone was thought to have various characteristics. Alchemists tried to get support from princes to "fund" their research but if the princes got frustrated by the lack of results, this could end the research...or the alchemist!
17th. Although used for metallurgy, the balance was not used for chemical processes until the 17th century when Joseph Black was the first to use it in an accurate way. We obviously know now how important mass changes are in chemistry.
| Paracelsus gave a further philosophical suggestion where the Aristotelian elements combined to give his "tria prima", or "three principles". What were these 3 principles? | The History of Chemistry 1: Composition
|
salt; sulphur; mercury. Salt was seen as the principle of incombustibility & non-volatility. Sulphur was the principle of inflammability.
Mercury was the principle of volatility & fusibility.
Robert Boyle. Boyle attacked Aristotelian & Paracelsian views of elements and principles. He gave his famous definition of an element and this was adapted by practical chemists until the mid-18th century. He was more into the physical science based on experimental data, rather than theory.
E. F. Geoffroy. Georg Stahl used the notion of affinity to explain data that he produced. However, he never made a table from the data. Geoffroy put these data into his "Table des Rapports" consisting of 16 columns, each headed by the traditional symbol for the substance for which the column referred. Underneath were the symbols of substances with which that substance reacted, in order of affinity.
Joseph Black. Black was a very influential chemist. Although his work and achievements were many, there were 2 important reasons that came out of his work. The first was the accurate use of the balance, as mentioned previously, and second was his demonstration for the first time of properties of a chemically distinct "air".
I do hope all who play have enjoyed this quiz and learned something from it. I get some flack for how dry my quizzes can be but I hope if you are a chemist enthusiast, you will like them. Feel free to email me and let me know what you think, or how I can improve them for players, or if you'd like to see more of them. Thanks again!
| Though the 5th century B.C.E. was a time of great theoretical development, some fanciful ideas remained regarding the nature of the earth and the universe. Take the example of Empedocles, poet and philosopher, who conjectured what about the nature of the universe? | History of Astronomy - Part 2
|
That it was an ovate, crystal sphere. One of the great geniuses of the 5th century, Empedocles speculated in a number of scientific areas with an arrogant flair (it is said that Empedocles only dressed in royal purple). According to Empedocles, all matter was comprised of four key components: water, earth, air and fire, with attractions and/or repulsions between these elements dictated by two other elements, 'philia' (love) and 'neikos' (strife). His cosmological views were even more interesting. Empedocles imagined the universe to be crystalline in nature, divided between light and dark regions and rotating to bring us the 24-hour daily cycle. The sun and stars were mere reflections on the sphere, according to Mr. Empedocles.
| Aflame with scientific zeal, another of the early 5th century B.C.E. cosmologists was Anaxagoras, friend of both Pericles and Euripides. From whence came this great philosopher, who probably developed the first scientific theory regarding eclipses? | History of Astronomy - Part 2
|
Clazomenae. Anaxagoras arrived from Clazomenae (a Greek colony in Ionia) to Athens in the late 460s B.C.E. He brought with him the almost spiritual scientific fervor that was developing in the colonies from the days of Thales. A friend to Pericles and philosophic rival to Socrates, Anaxagoras challenged existing cosmologies with his own very complex notions of the nature of the universe. Among his more important ideas were those revolving around the nature of eclipses (which he correctly suggested occurred by the casting of shadows), and he correctly guessed that the 'light' given off by the moon was reflected from the sun. Like Socrates, his ideas were threatening to the conservative Athenians and he was put on trial for heresy. Thanks to his friendship with Pericles, he escaped punishment.
| This ancient Pythagorean was perhaps the first person in history to suggest that the Earth was not at the center of the universe, and he developed interesting ideas about a 'central fire' and a 'counter-earth'. Who was this great 5th-century intellectual? | History of Astronomy - Part 2
|
Philolaus. Philolaus was a disciple of Pythagoras, and lived from c. 480 to c. 405 B.C.E. He provides a link between Pythagoras, his probable teacher, and Democritus, his probable pupil. Philolaus posited that the sun and planets were all spherical, and that each of these bodies rotated around a central fire (or 'estia', named after the goddess Hestia), thus departing from the Earth-centured universal scheme. Along with the six known planets at the time (Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter and Saturn), the sun, moon and stars (which were emblazoned upon a sphere) all rotated around the central fire, and were joined by a 'counter-earth' (or 'antichthon'), which helped bring the total number of rotating objects to the magical Pythagorean number of ten. Like Anaxagoras, Philolaus posited correctly the nature of eclipses and the phases of the moon (derived from the sun's light).
| The obscure ancient Greek astronomer Oenopides is associated with the first calculation of Earth's obliquity, and he also first calculated what is now known as a 'Great Year'. How long is a great year, according to Oenopides' calculations? | History of Astronomy - Part 2
|
59 years. Another traveller from the colonial outskirts (Chios) to Athens, Oenopides is a nebulous figure in the annals of history. Two major scientific breakthroughs are attributed to his hand however, and his presence in any intelligent discussion of the history of ancient Greek astronomy is required. Oenopides is said to have calculated the obliquity (or slanting) of the Earth rather accurately to 24 degrees (the actual value is closer to 23.5 degrees), and he developed the notion of a 'Great Year', wherein the various bodies of the solar system repeat their cycles of motion. Lunar calendars are referenced to the cycle of a Great Year.
| Moving along among the greats of ancient Greece we arrive at Democritus, student of Leucippus. Democritus was most well-known as a philosopher, but came up with a key cosmological assertion that turned out, ultimately, to be true. What was this assertion? | History of Astronomy - Part 2
|
That the Milky Way is a collection of stars. Democritus was known as the 'Laughing Philosopher', and it seems he did get the last laugh in regards to some of his key theoretical positions. Not only did he posit that the Milky Way was a great collection of stars (and that other planets might revolve around these stars), but he, along with his teacher Leucippus, also asserted that all matter is made up of tiny particles called 'atoms'. Of course, Democritus had no way of proving either of these grand theoretical notions, and the evidential proof backing these wonderful postulations was not revealed until centuries after his death.
| One of history's first astronomical observatories was to be found on the highest hill in Athens, and was used by such luminaries as Meton and Phaeinus. Upon which hill was this legendary observatory built? | History of Astronomy - Part 2
|
Lycabettus Hill. Towering above ancient Athens was Lycabettus Hill, which measures 277 meters (910 feet) at its peak. Upon this ancient hill worked some of the most meticulous ancient Greek observers of the heavens, including Meton, who first developed the calendar that bears his name (Metonic calendar) in around 432 B.C.E. The Metonic calendar was perhaps the most precise of the ancient calendars (more so than the Julian calendar, for example) and mirrored rather closely the calendars used by the ancient Chinese, and more recently, the Jewish people (whose calendar still abides by the Metonic cycle).
|
Fun Trivia | 
Quizzes | 
Games
| 
People | 
Services | 
Help | 
Me
