Ptolemaic Model

Ptolemy, an Alexandrian astronomer and mathematician, developed a mathematical model of

the cosmos around 150 CE, which he documented in his Almagest and Planetary Hypothesis. The
Ptolemaic system is a geocentric cosmology, which assumes that Earth is fixed and in the
center of the cosmos. It is also called as geocentric system or geocentric model.

The prevailing belief among ancient civilizations was that celestial bodies traversed flawless
circular paths in uniform motion. However, empirical observations disclosed deviations from this ideal,
particularly in the trajectories of the Sun, Moon, and planets as perceived from Earth. Ptolemy's
solution to this apparent imperfection involved positing that these seemingly erratic movements were
the result of amalgamating multiple regular circular motions, all observed from the vantage point of a
stationary Earth. Earlier Greek scientists, including Hipparchus around 150 BCE, laid the groundwork
for the principles underlying Ptolemy's accurate predictive model. The Ptolemaic system, refined by
Ptolemy, endured with minor adjustments until the 16th and 17th centuries when the Copernican and
Keplerian models displaced Earth from the center of the universe.

The key concept of the Ptolemaic model is eccentric motion. If a celestial body moves
uniformly along a circular path centered on Earth, it will sweep out equal angles in equal times.
However, if the path's center deviates from Earth, the body will sweep out unequal angles in equal
times, appearing slowest at its farthest point (apogee) and fastest at its nearest point (perigee).
Ptolemy employed this eccentric model to elucidate the varying motion of the Sun through the zodiac.
Another adaptation of the model, suitable for the Moon, involved a gradual shift in the direction of the
line connecting apogee to perigee.

Copernican Model

in astronomy, model of the solar system centred on the Sun, with Earth and other planets moving
around it, formulated by Nicolaus Copernicus, and published in 1543. It appeared with an
introduction by Rhäticus (Rheticus) as De revolutionibus orbium coelestium libri VI (“Six Books
Concerning the Revolutions of the Heavenly Orbs”). The Copernican system gave a truer picture than
the older Ptolemaic system, which was geocentric, or centred on Earth. It correctly described the Sun
as having a central position relative to Earth and other planets. Copernicus retained from Ptolemy,
although in somewhat altered form, the imaginary clockwork of epicycles and deferents (orbital circles
upon circles), to explain the seemingly irregular movements of the planets in terms of circular motion
at uniform speeds.

Born on February 19, 1473, and died on May 24, 1543, Nicolaus Copernicus was a
Renaissance polymath. He was well-known as a mathematician, astronomer, and Catholic canon. His
revolutionary work involves developing a model of the universe with the Sun at its center, which
challenged the widely held view in an Earth-centered universe. Copernicus most likely created his
idea independently of Aristarchus of Samos, an ancient Greek astronomer who postulated a similar
heliocentric model centuries before.
 The publishing of Copernicus' model in his major book, "De revolutionibus orbium coelestium"
(On the Revolutions of the Celestial Spheres), soon before his death, was a watershed point in
scientific history. It triggered the Copernican Revolution and made key contributions to the larger
Scientific Revolution. Copernicus was born in Royal Prussia, a semi-autonomous territory with
linguistic variety that had been incorporated into the Kingdom of Poland in 1466. He had a diverse
brain with a PhD in canon law and expertise in mathematics, astronomy, medicine, ancient studies,
translation, government, diplomacy, and economics. He began serving as a canon of the Warmian
Cathedral chapter in 1497. Notably, in 1517, he developed a theory of money amount, which is a
fundamental notion in economics, and in 1519, he defined an economic principle that became known
as Gresham's law.
PTOLEMAIC AND
COPERNICAN
MODEL
JAYCEE MARCO BELDEROL
JAMES LUKE NAVARRO