ptolemaic system

Thân thiện

A student points to a diagram of the ptolemaic system in a textbook.

Definition

1. Noun:
   • A geocentric model of the universe: The Ptolemaic system is a specific astronomical model, historically proposed by Claudius Ptolemy, which places the Earth at the center of the universe. All celestial bodies, including the sun, moon, planets, and stars, were described as revolving around the Earth in a complex system of circular orbits and epicycles.

Usage Examples

• Noun:
  • The Ptolemaic system dominated Western astronomy for over a thousand years.
  • Copernicus's heliocentric theory challenged the long-accepted Ptolemaic system.

Advanced Usage

• Historical and Scientific Context: The term is used to discuss the history of science, the philosophy of knowledge, and paradigm shifts.
  • The transition from the Ptolemaic system to a heliocentric model marked a major revolution in human thought.

Variants and Related Words

• Ptolemaic (adj): Of or relating to the Ptolemaic system or to Ptolemy.
  • Ptolemaic astronomy used epicycles to explain planetary motion.
• Geocentric model (n): A broader term for any cosmological model with Earth at the center.
• Epicycle (n): A small circle whose center moves around the circumference of a larger one, a key component of the Ptolemaic system.

Synonyms

• Geocentric system: A system with Earth at the center.
• Ptolemaic model: Another name for the Ptolemaic system.

Related Idioms and Phrases

• To be Ptolemaic: (Used figuratively) To be outdated, complex, or centered on an incorrect fundamental premise.
  • His view of the company's structure is positively Ptolemaic, refusing to acknowledge the new decentralized model.

Học thuật

Noun

1. (astronomy) Ptolemy's model of the universe with the Earth at the center

Từ đồng nghĩa

• ptolemaic system