Geography and Galileo: Essay Questions, Essay Example

Q1.  Galileo was described as the father of modern astronomy. He was a supporter of Copernicus but had many notable achievements in his own right including improvements to the telescope, astronomy, philosophy and instrumental in the birth of modern science. Albert Einstein (1839-1955) was the most famous scientist of the 20^th Century and most well-known for his Theory of Relativity and studies of the Cosmos.  Herschel, Sir William 1738-1822 who was a British astronomer. It was Herschel who discovered Uranus and referenced more than 800 double stars and 2,500 nebulae. Newton, Isaac 1642-1727. The English mathematician and physicist. Newton invented calculus, discovered the classical laws of motion and gravity, built the first reflecting telescope, and demonstrated the compound nature of white light, in the process laying the foundations of spectroscopy. (Hamilton, 2001).

It was originally viewed that the Earth was the centre of the Universe and other objects orbited around it. This did not change until the late 16^th century with contributions from Galileo, Copernicus and Kepler. They replaced this with the heliocentric model. Religion was one of the factors that delayed the development of this as the Catholic church opposed any notion that Gods creation was not at the centre of the Universe. Scientific research can take a long time to manifest itself and this is true even today.

Q2.  Geography may be defined as  “The purpose of geography is to provide ‘a view of the whole’ earth by mapping the location of places.” – Ptolemy, 150 CE  or .. Synoptic discipline synthesizing findings of other sciences through the concept of Raum (area or space).” – Immanuel Kant, c. 1780”  (Rosenberg, 2010).  Geography is considered as a science and virtually every other discipline associated with scientific knowledge has a link to geography. Geographers adopt an interdisciplinary (holistic) approach to study things & processes on the earth. Geography’s strength comes from its ability to connect functional interrelationships that are not normally noticed in narrowly defined fields of knowledge. On the other hand a holistic approach may be considered weak because it is too abstract by nature and does not explore things in sufficient depth.  It is the holistic emphasis that has somewhat restricted its development in science.

Q3 Weather may be defined as – “The state of the atmosphere at a given time and place, with respect to variables such as temperature, moisture, wind velocity, and barometric pressure.” (Free Dictionary, 2011).  Climate may be defined as – “The meteorological conditions, including temperature, precipitation, and wind, that characteristically prevail in a particular region” (Free Dictionary, 2011).  An example of commonality between the two might be that of ‘temperature’.  The greenhouse effect may be defined as being “the natural process by which the atmosphere traps some of the Sun’s energy, warming the Earth enough to support life.” (BBC News, 2010).  Greenhouse gas is a natural phenomenon and is controlled by the balances of nature. Global warming is mainly caused by the contribution of mankind in pollution and increasing the CO2 in the atmosphere. “Burning fossil fuels is one thing that causes pollution. Fossil fuels are fuels made of organic matter such as coal, or oil. When fossil fuels are burned they give off a greenhouse gas called CO2.” (Oracle Education Foundation, 2010)

Q4. The Gradient Force is “Pressure differences must create a force in order to drive the wind. This force is the pressure gradient force. The force is from higher pressure to lower pressure and is perpendicular to isobars or contours” (Aviation Weather, 2010). The Coriolis Effect occurs once the air has been set in motion by the pressure gradient force; it undergoes an apparent deflection from its path. This apparent deflection is called the “Coriolis force” and is a result of the earth’s rotation. “Frictional forces exist between surfaces of two objects being in contact. Their direction is always parallel to that surface and opposite to the direction of the intended motion of an object.” (Goc, 2010). Winds may be described as horizontal flows of air; winds blow from areas of high pressure to areas of low pressure (nature tries to equalise pressure). “Global circulation depends on differential heating over the globe. The system is driven by strong equatorial heating, causing LOW PRESSURE. Equatorial air rises, diverges and descends over the tropics, where HIGH PRESSURE dominates; where it diverges at ground level.” (At School, 2010).

Q5. The Climate in Southern California is that of a Mediterranean climate i.e. long hot dry summers, warm wet winters.  This contrasted to the climate in South Carolina on the East Coast which is more humid sub-tropical. The El Nino effect is an anomalous warming of the eastern tropical Pacific Ocean.  This has tended to create wetter prolonged periods on the Californian climate whereas on the Atlantic coast it can act as a deterrent to the worst of the hurricanes.  No significant hurricane has hit landfall in an El Nino period.

“El Niño and La Niña can have noticeable weather impacts in the USA, which vary from season to season. A strong El Niño can result in a stormy winter along the West Coast, a wet winter across the South, and a warmer-than average winter for parts of the North.”  (Lewis, 2010).

Works Cited

At School. (2010). Pressure Systems. Retrieved 1 25, 2011, from At School: atschool.eduweb.co.uk/radgeog/metlink/ppt/highs/Press-System.ppt

Aviation Weather. (2010). Pressure Gradient Force. Retrieved 1 27, 2011, from Aviation Weather: http://www.aviationweather.ws/017_Pressure_Gradient_Force.php

BBC News. (2010). Greenhouse Effect. Retrieved 1 27, 2011, from BBC News: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/shared/spl/hi/sci_nat/04/climate_change/html/greenhouse.stm

Free Dictionary. (2011). Weather Definition. Retrieved 1 27, 2011, from Free Dictionary: http://www.thefreedictionary.com/weather

Goc, R. (2010). Frictional Forces. Retrieved 1 27, 2011, from Physics tutorial: http://www.staff.amu.edu.pl/~romangoc/M4-frictional-force.html

Hamilton, C. J. (2001). People in Astronomy . Retrieved 1 25, 2011, from Views of the Solar System: http://www.solarviews.com/eng/people.htm

Lewis, B. S. (2010). Graphic: How El Nino and La Nina affect U.S. storms. Retrieved 1 26, 2011, from USA Today: http://www.usatoday.com/weather/resources/graphics/2008-09-25-el-nino-la-nina-affect-us-weather_N.htm

Oracle Education Foundation. (2010). Causes. Retrieved 1 27, 2011, from Oracle Education Foundation: http://library.thinkquest.org/J003411/causes.htm

Rosenberg, M. (2010). Definitions of Geography. Retrieved 1 26, 2011, from About.com: http://geography.about.com/od/studygeography/a/geodefinitions.htm