Which famous physicist formulated the laws of planetary motion? A) Isaac Newton B) Galileo Galilei C) Johannes Kepler D) Tycho Brahe
VerifiedAnswer: C) Johannes Kepler
Explanation:
Johannes Kepler is the correct answer because he formulated the three fundamental laws that describe how planets move around the Sun. Working in the early 1600s, Kepler used precise observational data collected by his mentor Tycho Brahe to discover these revolutionary principles that changed our understanding of the solar system.
Kepler's First Law states that planets orbit the Sun in elliptical paths, not perfect circles as previously believed. His Second Law explains that planets move faster when they're closer to the Sun and slower when they're farther away. The Third Law establishes a mathematical relationship between a planet's orbital period and its distance from the Sun.
Let's understand why the other options are incorrect. Isaac Newton came later and built upon Kepler's work by explaining why planets follow these laws through his theory of universal gravitation. Galileo Galilei made crucial discoveries about Jupiter's moons and supported the heliocentric model, but he didn't formulate the specific laws of planetary motion. Tycho Brahe was an excellent observer who collected the precise data that Kepler used, but he didn't discover the laws himself.
Kepler's laws were groundbreaking because they provided the first accurate mathematical description of planetary motion. These laws helped prove that the Sun, not Earth, is at the center of our solar system and laid the foundation for Newton's later work on gravity. Today, we still use Kepler's laws to understand orbital mechanics and even to send spacecraft to other planets.
