SAINT JOSEPH ACADEMY

OF SAN JOSE, BATANGAS INCORPORATED

SENIOR HIGH SCHOOL DEPARTMENT

MODULE NUMBER: 5 SECOND

SEMESTER
Date: MARCH 29 – APRIL 02 ,2021 2ND QUARTER S.Y.
2020 – 2021

CLASS NUMBER: _____________________

SUBJECT: PHYSICAL SCIENCE
NAME: _______________________________________________
TEACHER: MR. ARNOLD A. PAOMBONG
GRADE AND SECTION: ABM11-RIZAL/HUMSS 11- BONIFACIO/AGONCILLO

Physical Science Quarter 2 – Module 5:

How we come to realize that the Earth
is not the center of the Universe?
This module contains varied activities that can help you as a Senior High School student to not just
gain knowledge on how they came about ideas of the Earth and the cosmos but most importantly learn from
them on how they utilize these knowledge and information in making their lives better.
The following are the lessons contained in this module:
1. The Universe: Through the Eyes of the Ancient Great Thinkers;
2. Thanks to Brahe

What I Need to Know

At the end of this module, you should be able to:
1. Explain how the Greeks knew that the Earth is spherical (S11/12PS-IVa-38)

2. Cite examples of astronomical phenomena known to astronomers before the advent of

telescopes (S11/12PS-IVa-41)

3. Explain how Brahe’s innovations and extensive collection of data in observational

astronomy paved the way for Kepler’s discovery of his laws of planetary motion
(S11/12PS-IVb-44
What I Know

Multiple Choice. Select the letter of the best answer from among the given choices.

1. According to the Greeks, the Earth’s shape is _______.

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A. elliptical B. flat and square

C. spherical C. cylindrical

2. Which among the Greek philosophers computed the Earth’s circumference?

A. Aristotle B. Pythagoras
C. Plato D. Eratosthenes

3. How did the Greeks especially Aristotle use the lunar eclipse phenomenon to explain that the Earth is not
flat?
A. He noticed that the shadow casts by Earth on the moon is round.
B. He argued that since the shape of the moon appears to be round then the Earth
must also be round.
C. He argued that lunar eclipse only happens when a round opaque object blocks the
passage of sunlight.
D. He noticed that all things seems to be moving around the Earth except for Earth
itself.

4. Which of the following is not true about the how ancient people were able to make use of
their knowledge about heavens?
A. They used their knowledge to invent the calendar
B. They used their knowledge to study more closely the origin of the universe
C. They their knowledge in their architecture.
D. They used their knowledge to navigate the ocean

5. Which time of the year did Eratosthenes observe the pillar in Alexandria casted a shadow?
A. noon time during spring B. noon time during summer solstice
C. noon time during solar eclipse D. noon time during winter solstice

6. Which of the following astronomical phenomenon were already observed by the ancient
people even before the telescope was invented?
A. sunspot B. solar eclipse
C. craters of the moon D. atmosphere of Mars

7. Which of the following objects would most likely casts a shadow on the moon during lunar eclipse when it
is observe here on Earth without the aid of a telescope?
A. Sun B. Moon
C. North star D. Earth

8. Which phase of the moon is shown in the figure below?

A. full moon B. first quarter moon

C. new moon D. last quarter moon

9. Which phase of the moon is shown in the figure below?

A. full moon B. first quarter moon

C. last quarter moon D. new moon

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10. How did the ancient astronomers discover that Mercury and Venus are planets
not stars?
A. They noticed that the stars are in a fixed position with respect to each other.
But there are very bright stars that change positions periodically.
B. They noticed that Mercury and Venus are bigger compared to the others stars
C. They noticed that the constellations’ positions in the night sky vary depending
on the time of the year
D. They noticed that the stars change positions periodically. But there are very
bright stars in a fixed position with respect to each other.

The Universe: Through the Eyes of the

1 Ancient Great Thinkers

What I Need to Know

You have probably gazed at the sky on a clear night and wonder about whether there are aliens or
parallel universes out there. With the advent of space explorations, the notion of living in Mars has already
been entertained by some people just in case Earth ceased to be a habitable planet in the future. Or maybe
you imagined taking vacation on board on a space ship and your destination is the outer space! Isn’t it cool?

Man’s knowledge about the universe has a come a long way. Gone are the days that people feared the
occurrence of an eclipse for its means something bad is going to happen. But it’s a different story if you
were born hundreds or thousands years ago.

Ancient people perhaps did not think about aliens or parallel universe or thought of going to Mars,
but they have definitely wondered and gave a lot of thought about how object seem to move across the sky.
As they continued to observe the occurrences around them the more they became fascinated and curios,
thus, these lead them to their quest for answers and explanations. And the knowledge they accumulated
through the years about the skies has been applied to their everyday lives. They rely on it to tell the time, in
making calendars, in navigation, in architecture, in agriculture especially on when to sow and when to
harvest and so on. And how about you can you tell the time or direction by just observing the sky?
Apart from utilizing their knowledge about astronomy in their day to day living, they also used this
to shed light on some prevalent questions and ideas of their time. Few of the ideas that ancient people tried
to work on were on giving us the picture of the shape of the Earth and of the universe.

As for the Earth’s shape, how did the Greeks (though they were not the only who studied it) come
into a conclusion that it’s not flat? What were the evidences that they used support the idea?

And before we expound the concept let’s put to test first your power of observation and reasoning by
doing the activity below. As you know, observing is one of the skills that the great ancient thinkers possessed

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SENIOR HIGH SCHOOL DEPARTMENT

and you too as senior high school learner is

expected to acquire.

What’s New

Activity 1: The Who

Below is a simple matching type activity. All you Fig. 2.1 The timeline of some of the who’s who in
have to do is match the names in column A with the field of astronomy and mathematics.
their corresponding contribution in column B.
Write the letter that corresponds to your answers
on the space provided.

Tycho Brahe’ Contribution

If you got all the answers in activity 1

correctly and correlate it with the timeline in
Fig.2.1, you will see that the geocentric
universe model has prevailed for thousands
of years. Only in the later of part in the 16th
century that this idea was questioned by

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SENIOR HIGH SCHOOL DEPARTMENT

Copernicus wherein he proposed that it’s the Sun not the Earth is the center of the universe.

The conflicting ideas and evidences in both models have pushed Brahe to come up with his own
model. It is called the geoheliocentric model, a hybrid of the geocentric model of Ptolemy and the
heliocentric model of Copernicus. In his model the Sun orbited Earth, while the other planets orbited the
Sun.
It was also during this time that Brahe met the young German mathematician Johannes Kepler.
Brahe hired Kepler as sort of “research assistant” primarily to prove that Brahe’s model (geoheliocentric
model) which emphasize that the Earth was at rest, the sun went around the Earth and the planets all went
around the sun - an intermediate picture between Ptolemy and Copernicus. Kepler needed Brahe’s data to
do mathematical analysis while Brahe needs Kepler to make mathematical calculations to prove that the
model satisfies the observed data. Brahe died before his model is proven. Kepler inherited vast set of data
that will prove crucial for developing his Three Laws of Planetary Motion later. It took Kepler many more
years trying out many possible models to fit the available data being concerned largely on the philosophical
implication of his models and the belief that there has to be simple numerical relationships among
phenomena like the Pythagoreans. But Kepler failed to reconcile the data on hand with the model Brahe
proposed especially on the notion of the stationary Earth. It takes another brilliant mind and his invention
the telescope to prove that Copernicus was right in proposing that Earth after all is not the center of the
universe.

But despite everything still something good

came out of his persistence,after about 20 years or so
working with the data he got from Brahe, the Three
Laws of Planetary Motion were published in two
different years:

First Law: Law of Elliptical Orbit or Law of

Ellipses (1609)- The planets move in elliptical orbits
with the Sun at a focus (F 1). The other focus (F2) is
empty.

Second Law: Law of Equal Areas (1609)-In their

orbits around the sun, the planets sweep out equal
areas in equal times. For this to happen, the planets Fig 2.2 Brahe’s model of the universe also called the
move fastest at the perihelion as shown in Fig.2.1 the Tychonic model. It is considered as a hybrid of
first shaded area from point A to B and lowest at the geocentric and heliocentric models of the universe.
aphelion the second shaded area from point C to D.
When the planet is nearest to the Sun, it is called
perihelion. When it is farthest from the Sun, it is called aphelion.

Third Law: Law of Periods (1619)-The ratio of the squares of the periods (the time needed for one
revolution about the Sun) of any of the two planets revolving around the Sun is equal to the ratio of the
cubes of their mean distances from the Sun. That is, if T 1 and T2 represent the periods for any two planets,
and r1 and r2 represent the mean distances from the Sun,

Summary
1. Ancient peoples’ knowledge about astronomy has greatly influenced their way of life.

2. The Greeks believed that the Earth is spherical.

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3. Aristotle argued that the Earth is spherical based on the following:

- Every object on Earth is compressed and converged toward the center forming a
sphere;
- The North Star was believed to be at a fixed position in the sky. However, when the
Greeks travelled to places nearer the equator, they noticed that the North Star is closer
to the horizon;
-During lunar eclipse, the shape of Earth’s shadow reflected on the Moon’s surface is
circular.

4. Eratosthenes estimated the Earth’ circumference by observing the shadow casts by a pillar and correlating
it the with information that while an object in Alexandria during noontime cast a shadow, in Seyene the
light rays that hits the water well is reflected back thus, no shadow is from. This is another proof presented
to support the idea that the Earth is indeed round.

1. The following are examples of astronomical phenomena known to man even before the invention of
the telescope: different phases moon, lunar and solar eclipses, motion of stars, the discover of planets
Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, and Saturn, supernova and the passing of a comet along the Earth’s orbit.

2. Tycho Brahe calculated with high accuracy the positions planets, moon and the Sun. He also made
correction of the discrepancies of the data gathered by his forerunners.

3. With the data on hand, he questioned the geocentric model of the universe of Ptolemy and rejected
the heliocentric model of Copernicus, instead proposed his own model the geo-heliocentric model.

4. The idea of his geo-heliocentric model, Earth is fixed and the Sun revolves around it. But the rest of the
planets revolve around the Sun.

Johannes Kepler was hired by Brahe to assist him in looking for more data to support his geo-heliocentric
model. The data that Brahe collected did not help in proving his idea of a stationary Earth, instead Kepler
discovered its importance in explaining the elliptical path of the planets and moon, varying speed of planets
motion and the harmony of the distance of the planet and its motion. Which was later called Kepler’s Laws
of Planetary Motion.

First Law: Law of Ellipse

Second Law: Laws of Equal Areas
Third Law: Law of Period

Assessment: (Post-Test)
Multiple Choice. Select the letter of the best answer from among the given choices.

1. How did the Greeks especially Aristotle use the lunar eclipse phenomenon to explain that the Earth is not
flat?
A. He noticed that all things seems to be moving around the Earth except for Earth itself
B. He argued that since the shape of the moon appears to be round then the Earth must also be round.
C. He argued that lunar eclipse only happens when a round opaque object blocks the passage of sunlight.
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SENIOR HIGH SCHOOL DEPARTMENT

D. He noticed that the shadow casts by Earth on the moon is round.

.
2. Which time of the year did Eratosthenes observe the pillar in Alexandria casted a shadow?
A. noon time during spring B. noon time during summer solstice
C. noon time during solar eclipse D. noon time during winter solstice

3. According to the Greeks, the Earth’s shape is _______.

A. flat and square B. spherical
C. elliptical D. cylindrical

4. Which of the following is not true about the how ancient people were able to make use of their knowledge
about heavens?
A. They used their knowledge to navigate the ocean
B. They their knowledge in their architecture.
C. They used their knowledge to invent the calendar
D. They used their knowledge to study more closely the beginning of the universe

5. Which among the Greek philosophers computed the Earth’s circumference?

A. Eratosthenes B. Pythagoras
C. Plato D. Aristotle

6. Which phase of the moon is shown in the figure below?

A. full moon B. new moon

C. first quarter moon D. last quarter moon

7. Which of the following astronomical phenomenon were already observed by the ancient people even
before the telescope was invented?
A. solar eclipse B. sunspots
C. craters of the moon D. all the moons of Jupiter
8. Which of the following casts a shadow on the moon during lunar eclipse when it is observe here on Earth
without the aid of a telescope?
A. Sun B. Earth
B. North star D. Moon

9. How did the ancient astronomers discover that Mercury and Venus are planets not stars?
A. They noticed that Mercury and Venus are bigger compared to the others stars
B. They noticed that the constellations’ positions in the night sky vary depending on the time of the year
C. They noticed that the stars change positions periodically. But there are very bright stars in a fixed
position with respect to each other.

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D. They noticed that the stars are in a fixed position with respect to each other. But there are very bright
stars that change positions periodically.

10. Which phase of the moon is shown in the figure below?

A. full moon B. first quarter moon

C. last quarter moon D. new moon
11. What is the major contribution of Tycho Brahe to the field of astronomy?
A. the invention of telescope
B. the Earth’s axis of rotation
C. measurement of Earth’ circumference
D. accurate measurement of stars’ and planets’ position

12. Below is Brahe’s model of the universe. Based on the figure ,which of the following statements bests
describe Brahe’s model?

A. The planets except Earth revolve around the Sun, while the moon and the Sun revolve around the Earth.
B. The Sun and the Earth are both at the center and the other planets revolve around it.
C. The planets except Earth revolve around the Sun, while the moon revolves around the Earth
D. Neither the Sun nor the Earth is at the center and the others planets do not revolve around it.

13. Based on Kepler’s First Law, which of the figures below describes the path of a planet as it moves around
the Sun ?

A. B. C. D.

14. Kepler discovered that planets do not go around the Sun at a uniform speed but it depends on it position
relative to the Sun. What is its speed when it is farther from the Sun?

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A. faster B. neither fast nor slow

C. slower D. similar to the speed when it is closer
to the Sun

15. What relationship between the times of revolutions of the planets and their distance from the Sun did
Kepler discover?
A. The cube of the times of revolution of the planets are proportional to the square of their average distance
from the Sun.
B. The cube of the times of revolution of the planets are not proportional to the square of their average
distance from the Sun.
C. The square of the times of revolution of the planets are proportional to the cube of their average distance
from the Sun.
D. The square of the times of revolution of the planets are not proportional to the cube of their average
distance from the Sun.

Congratulations!
You have completed this
module.

Jervee M. Punzalan and Richard C. Monserrat, Science in Today’s World

for Senior High School Physical Science(Quezon City: SIBS Publishing
House,2016)127

Teaching Guide for SHS: Physical Science, CHED in collaboration with the
PNU Quezon
City:2016,electronicversion.https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B869YF0KE
Hr7SHFGVG5MVFFhcXc/view?usp=drivesdk

DepEd CDO Learning Activity Sheet in Physical Science Shared Option

LAS (DepEd Cagayan de Oro,2019),electronic version.
https://bitly/3dF9Kdb

“Eratosthenes” ,June 20,

2020https://www.britannica.com/biography/Eratosthense.jpg> [Accessed
23 July 2020].

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