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OverviewThe Ballet of the Planets unravels the beautiful mystery of planetary motion, revealing how our understanding of astronomy evolved from Archimedes and Ptolemy to Copernicus, Kepler, and Newton. Mathematician Donald Benson shows that ancient theories of planetary motion were based on the assumptions that the Earth was the center of the universe and the planets moved in a uniform circular motion. Since ancient astronomers noted that occasionally a planet would exhibit retrograde motion--would seem to reverse its direction and move briefly westward--they concluded that the planets moved in epicyclic curves, circles with smaller interior loops, similar to the patterns of a child's Spirograph. With the coming of the Copernican revolution, the retrograde motion was seen to be apparent rather than real, leading to the idea that the planets moved in ellipses. This laid the ground for Newton's great achievement--integrating the concepts of astronomy and mechanics--which revealed not only how the planets moved, but also why. Throughout, Benson focuses on naked-eye astronomy, which makes it easy for the novice to grasp the work of these pioneers of astronomy. Full Product DetailsAuthor: Donald Benson (Emeritus Professor, Emeritus Professor, University of California, Davis)Publisher: Oxford University Press Inc Imprint: Oxford University Press Inc Dimensions: Width: 23.60cm , Height: 2.30cm , Length: 15.20cm Weight: 0.386kg ISBN: 9780199891009ISBN 10: 0199891001 Pages: 192 Publication Date: 21 June 2012 Audience: General/trade , General Format: Hardback Publisher's Status: Active Availability: To order  Stock availability from the supplier is unknown. We will order it for you and ship this item to you once it is received by us. Table of ContentsAcknowledgements Introduction 1 The Survival of the Valid I. Birth 2 The Bowl of Night 3 Epicycles and Relative Motion 4 The Deferent-Epicycle Model 5 Making Money, Et Cetera II Rebirth 6 The Reluctant Revolutionary 7 Circles No More 8 The War with Mars III Enlightenment 9 The Birth of Mechanics 10 The Astronomical Alchemist A. The Greek Alphabet B. Vectors Notes References IndexReviews<br> Although this book complements Norriss S. Hetherington's Planetary Motions: A Historical Perspective, it is unique in its eclectic mix of detailed mathematical proofs, numerous figures, and solved problems...An essential book for any planetary astronomy collection. -- Library Journal<p><br> Author InformationDonald C. Benson is Emeritus Professor of Mathematics at the University of California, Davis, and the author of A Smoother Pebble and The Moment of Proof. Tab Content 6Author Website:Countries AvailableAll regions |
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