perhaps I did not ask clearly enough. Sir Hoyle stated that (my additions in
brackets):
"Today [1973] we cannot claim in any physically meaningful sense that
Copernican theory
[i.e. the Earth revolves around the Sun; not other way round] would be right
and Ptolemy's theory would be wrong.
These two theories have no difference whatsoever from the point of view of
physics."
Copernicus proposed that the Earth is not "fixed", it revolves around the Sun.
Is this correct or not?
Or is it *just* a matter of reference frame?
- - - - - -
BTW there is a good scientific reason why the original Ptolemy's model was
replaced by Kepler's model. Kepler's
theory provided better predictions than Ptolemy's model. Interestingly enough,
Copernicus' model
was no better than Ptolemy's model in terms of predictions.
Regards,
Antti
Antti Savinainen
Senior Lecturer in Physics and Mathematics
Kuopion Lyseo High School
Puijonkatu 18
70110 Kuopio, FINLAND
E-mail: antti.savinainen@kuopio.fi
Personal web page: http://kotisivu.mtv3.fi/oma/physics/