Richard, the original actually had more than that question:
" So, I was having an argument with someone about establishing that the Earth goes around the Sun, and he claimed that he could write down a perfectly consistent general relativistic framework where the Sun would be going around the Earth. Not having the time, I didn't get a chance to see this done, but[1st question] I was wondering whether it *could* be done - even in principle. If so, then [2nd question] is the geocentric model "just as good" as the heliocentric model - in the sense of "just as consistent with reality" - as opposed to the "just as convenient" sense?"
When he added the term "geocentric model" he (possibly unconsciously) invoked at least the whole solar system. His first question may have been Sun and Earth only, but is one is considering only those two, why even mention models? Models of what? If you have only two particles interacting gravitationally, yes, geo, helio, or barycentric are good. But for a gravitational system of multiple planets, the Sun is dominating the motions of everything. Planets simply do not orbit Earth.
I think arguments about Earth's rotation are not germain here. The Sun also rotates. Everything we see in the solar system rotates about a self-CM axis. Gravitational orbits form the center of these questions.
-> -----Original Message-----
-> From: Phys-l [mailto:phys-l-bounces@www.phys-l.org] On Behalf Of
-> Richard Tarara
-> Sent: Wednesday, March 25, 2015 3:11 PM
-> To: Phys-L@Phys-L.org
-> Subject: Re: [Phys-L] Sun going around the Earth?
->
-> Seems like there are a number of questions going on in this thread...one
-> being something I know you have taught a course based on... How do we
-> know the earth moves...or the related question...how can all the available
-> data and observations be interpreted from a geocentric viewpoint. The
-> original question was can one work out the physics for the sun orbiting the
-> earth rather than the other way around.
->
-> rwt
->
-> On 3/25/2015 3:39 PM, Joseph Bellina wrote:
-> > That wasn't the question
-> >
-> > Sent from my iPhone
-> >
-> >> On Mar 25, 2015, at 2:08 PM, Richard Tarara <rtarara@saintmarys.edu>
-> wrote:
-> >>
-> >> OK..what do you do with the observed parallax shifts of nearby stars
-> viewed 6 months apart?
-> >>
-> >> rwt
-> >>
-> >>> On 3/25/2015 1:52 PM, Joseph Bellina wrote:
-> >>> How about as the stellar sphere rotates daily around the earth the
-> >>> pendulum is dragged with it. I think that goes back to Mach
-> >>>
-> >>> Sent from my iPhone
-> >>>
-> >>>> On Mar 25, 2015, at 1:32 PM, "John Clement" <clement@hal-pc.org>
-> wrote:
-> >>>>
-> >>>> Of course from the point of view of students in HS they generally
-> >>>> can not come up with any good evidence for why we insist that the
-> >>>> Earth goes around the Sun. They have been told it so much that
-> >>>> they parrot it back without any evidence to back it up. Every
-> >>>> observation they cite can be explained either way.
-> >>>>
-> >>>> "An Inquiry into Science Education, Where the Rubber Meets the
-> >>>> Road" is a little book which should be read by all science
-> >>>> educators. In it the author convinces most students during a
-> >>>> summer institute that they have no evidence for which is true. He
-> >>>> gets them to understand the difference between evidence and just
-> >>>> accepting what they have been told. When he asks them at the end
-> >>>> to write out how they they know the Sun goes around the Earth, they
-> now tend to say "It could be either according to what I know."
-> >>>>
-> >>>> The observations of the other planets can be explained in an Earth
-> >>>> centered system as long as you do not try to figure the mechanism
-> behind the orbits.
-> >>>> An important piece in the puzzle is the Foucault pendulum which
-> >>>> shows that the Earth is rotating. Then of course there are things
-> >>>> like large whirlpools and weather patterns. MS and HS students do
-> >>>> not generally understand this. Actually I bet most college
-> >>>> students do not know about it either, even in science classes. Can
-> >>>> the pendulum be explained along with an Earth centered system?
-> >>>>
-> >>>> John M. Clement
-> >>>> Houston, TX
-> >>>>
-> >>>> _______________________________________________
-> >>>> Forum for Physics Educators
-> >>>> Phys-l@www.phys-l.org
-> >>>> http://www.phys-l.org/mailman/listinfo/phys-l
-> >>> _______________________________________________
-> >>> Forum for Physics Educators
-> >>> Phys-l@www.phys-l.org
-> >>> http://www.phys-l.org/mailman/listinfo/phys-l
-> >>
-> >> --
-> >> Richard Tarara
-> >> Professor Emeritus
-> >> Saint Mary's College
-> >>
-> >> free Physics educational software
-> >> www.saintmarys.edu/~rtarara/software.html
-> >> NEW: Energy management simulators now available.
-> >>
-> >> _______________________________________________
-> >> Forum for Physics Educators
-> >> Phys-l@www.phys-l.org
-> >> http://www.phys-l.org/mailman/listinfo/phys-l
-> > _______________________________________________
-> > Forum for Physics Educators
-> > Phys-l@www.phys-l.org
-> > http://www.phys-l.org/mailman/listinfo/phys-l
->
->
-> --
-> Richard Tarara
-> Professor Emeritus
-> Saint Mary's College
->
-> free Physics educational software
-> www.saintmarys.edu/~rtarara/software.html
-> NEW: Energy management simulators now available.
->
-> _______________________________________________
-> Forum for Physics Educators
-> Phys-l@www.phys-l.org
-> http://www.phys-l.org/mailman/listinfo/phys-l