Kepler's laws of planetary motion were based on

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Question: Kepler's laws of planetary motion were based on
Options:
A) Galileo's experiments
B) observations of Ptolemy
C) observations of Tycho Brahe
D) Aristotle's philosophy
E) the theory of epicycles

Option A: Galileo's experiments. While Galileo made important astronomical observations and supported heliocentric ideas, Kepler did not derive his laws from Galileo's experiments. Galileo’s work preceded Kepler’s synthesis and did not provide the comprehensive, quantitative planetary data Kepler needed. This makes this option inaccurate as the basis for Kepler's laws.

Option B: observations of Ptolemy. Ptolemy’s model was geocentric with epicycles, used long before Kepler. Kepler’s laws emerged from precise heliocentric observations, not from Ptolemaic astronomy. Therefore, this option incorrectly attributes Kepler’s laws to Ptolemy’s data.

Option C: observations of Tycho Brahe. This is the historically accurate foundation: Tycho collected extremely precise naked-eye measurements of planetary positions, especially Mars, which Kepler then analyzed to formulate his three laws of planetary motion. Without Brahe’s data, Kepler would not have been able to derive the laws with such accuracy. This option correctly identifies the basis for Kepler’s laws.

Option D: Aristotle's philosophy. Aristotle provided early teleological and natural philosophy perspectives, but Kepler’s laws are empirical, quantitative discoveries grounded in observational data, not derived from Aristotelian doctrine. This option misstates the source of Kepler’s laws.

Option E: the theory of epicycles. Epicycles are part of the Ptolemaic, geocentric framework and were used to explain observed planetary motions before the Copernican shift. Kepler’s laws move beyond epicycles, describing elliptical orbits and simplifying the explanation of planetary motion; thus epicycles were not the basis for Kepler’s laws.

In summary, the only option that correctly identifies the data source Kepler relied on is the observations of Tycho Brahe, as opposed to the other options which point to frameworks or sources not used to derive Kepler’s laws.

ASTRON 2140 AU2025 (23428) Quiz 1 - 2025 Sep 19

Kepler's laws of planetary motion were based on

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