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Physical Science SHS Lesson 14.2 the Spherical Earth

The document discusses the historical beliefs about the shape of the Earth, contrasting the Flat Earth model with the Spherical Earth model. It outlines early beliefs from various cultures, including the Egyptians and Greeks, and highlights key figures like Pythagoras, Aristotle, and Eratosthenes who contributed to the understanding of a spherical Earth. Modern evidence supporting the spherical model is also presented, including spacecraft photos, lunar eclipses, time zones, and airplane travel.

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Janine Ferrer
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51 views

Physical Science SHS Lesson 14.2 the Spherical Earth

The document discusses the historical beliefs about the shape of the Earth, contrasting the Flat Earth model with the Spherical Earth model. It outlines early beliefs from various cultures, including the Egyptians and Greeks, and highlights key figures like Pythagoras, Aristotle, and Eratosthenes who contributed to the understanding of a spherical Earth. Modern evidence supporting the spherical model is also presented, including spacecraft photos, lunar eclipses, time zones, and airplane travel.

Uploaded by

Janine Ferrer
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PPTX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Lesson 14.

The Spherical Earth


What if the Earth is Flat?
Procedure:
1. On a piece of paper, draw any geometric shape. Occupy the entire
paper.
2. Within the geometric shape, add drawings of seven large land
masses.
3. Color/shade the land masses and the remaining areas white that
represent water bodies of water.
4. Looking at your geographical Earth model, list down different
problems that might arise if the earth is in that geometrical shape.
5. Present your geometric Earth in class and talk about the possible
problems with your drawing
explain early beliefs on
Objective 1 the shape of the earth;
sAt the end and
of the discuss the
lesson, you development on the
should be 2 idea about Earth’s
able to: shape.
Learn about It!

Flat Earth Model


• It is an old belief model that
the earth is plane or discoidal
in form.

• Early Egyptian,
Mesopotamian, and Homer
(Greek philosopher) believed
that the world is a disk in the
ocean.
Flat Earth Model
Learn about It!

Flat Earth Model


• Israelites thought that the
earth is like a disc floating
in water where an arched
bowl separates the earth
from the heavens.

• They believed that the sky


is a solid dome with the
sun, Moon, and other
planetary objects The flat earth model according to
the Hebrews.
embedded in it.
Learn about It!

History of the Spherical Earth Model


• Pythagoras introduced the
idea of the round model of the
earth in the 6th century BC.

• Anaxagoras (430 BCE)


observed that during lunar
eclipse, the earth’s circular
shadow was reflected on the
moon’s surface.
Pythagoras in an old Greek coin.
Learn about It!

History of the Spherical Earth Model


Around 340 BCE, Aristotle listed several arguments for
a spherical Earth:
• Earth was also spherical since the moon and the sun
were both spherical

• The North Star is closer to the horizon for places


nearer the equator

• When the ship sailed, the hull disappeared first, which


implied that the surface of the earth was curved.
Learn about It!

The sinking ship evidence.


Learn about It!

History of the Spherical Earth Model


• Around 240 BCE, Eratosthenes attempted to
measure the circumference of the earth.

• In Syene in Southern Egypt, a vertical object did not


cast any shadow during the summer solstice, which
was not the case in Alexandria.

• He determined the angle that the sun rays made with


the vertical direction by measuring the shadow a
vertical stick cast.
Learn about It!

History of the Spherical Earth Model


• In Alexandria, the sun rays make an angle of 7.2°
from the vertical, whereas, in Syene, it makes an
angle of 0°.

• He hypothesized that the light rays coming from the


sun were parallel, and the earth was curved.

• He computed the circumference of the earth to be


approximately 250 000 stadia or 46 250 km (1
stadia - 185 m).
Learn about It!

Earth’s circumference based to


Eratosthenes calculation.
Learn about It!
Modern Evidence Supporting Spherical Earth
Model
Spacecraft Photos
• Satellite photos show that
the earth is plainly
spherical.

• Astronauts in satellites
orbiting in low Earth orbit
personally observed
curvature of the planet.
Enhanced satellite photo of the
earth.
Learn about It!
Modern Evidence Supporting Spherical Earth
Model
Lunar Eclipse
• During a lunar eclipse, the
shadow of the earth formed
on the one side of the moon
shows a dark circle.

• The shape that casts in the


moon at which direction is itRound shadow of the earth cast on
pointed shows spherical the moon during a lunar eclipse.
shape.
Learn about It!
Modern Evidence Supporting Spherical Earth
Model
Time Zones
• The time difference in
different places in the world
is due to the presence of a
time zone.

• It can only be explained if


the world is round and Rotation of the earth on its axis
continuously rotating on its that forms the time zone.
axis.
Learn about It!
Modern Evidence Supporting Spherical Earth
Model
Riding a Plane
• Airplanes are capable of
traveling in a straight line
without falling off any edges
even for a period of time and
it can circle the earth without
stopping.

• The curvature of Earth on the


horizon is noticeable if you An airplane traveling on the
curvature of the earth.
travel in transatlantic flight.
Key Points

1 Early Egyptian and Mesopotamian believed that the


world is a disk in the ocean.

Homer​, a Greek philosopher in the 8th century BC.


2 According to this belief, the body of water surrounds
the circular flat Earth.
Key Points

Israelites thought that the earth is like a disc floating


on water where an arched bowl separates the earth
3 from the heavens. They believed that the sky is a
solid dome with the sun, Moon, and other planetary
objects embedded in it.

Pythagoras at 6th century BC, introduced the idea of


4 the round model of Earth.
Key Points

Around 340 BCE, Aristotle listed several arguments


for a spherical Earth, which included the shape of the
5 moon and the sun, the positions of the North Star,
and the disappearance of the ships when they sailed
over the
horizon.
Eratosthenes attempted to measure the
circumference of the earth. He computed the
6 circumference of the earth to be approximately 250
000 stadia or 46 250 km ​(1 stadia = 185 m).
Challenge Yourself

What do you think will be the most prominent


problem in traveling if the earth if flat?

Based on the discussion, how did Aristotle


proved that the world is round?

How do the Greeks know that Earth is spherical?


Write the word true if the given statement is
correct, otherwise, write the word false.
Bibliography

Botkin, Daniel B. and Edward Keller. 2011. Environmental Science: Earth as a Living Planet: John
Wiley and Sons Inc.

Cunningham, William P. and Mary Ann Cunningham. 2010. Environmental Science: A Global
Concern: McGraw Hill.

Cutnell et al. 1995. Physics. New York: John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

Hurd et al. 1988. Physical Science. New Jersey: Prentice Hall.

Mulligan, Joseph F. 1985. Introductory College Physics. New York: McGraw-Hill Book Company.

Tipler, Paul Allen. 1999. Physics for Scientists and Engineers. New York: W.H. Freeman and
Company/Worth Publishers.

Zitzewitz et al., 1995. Physics, Principles and Problems. New York: McGraw-Hill.

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