Category Science

How did Albert Einstein revolutionize the theories of astronomy and physics?

Einstein posed simple questions that could have been asked centuries earlier. For example: “What do we mean when we say two events are simultaneous?” or “What happens when two objects approach each other at the speed of light?”

Paradoxes seemed to emerge everywhere if you could travel at the speed of light. By providing explanations for such paradoxes, Einstein unraveled the riddles of the Universe. He is noted chiefly for his General and Special Theories of ‘Relatively’ that hold that motion, time, distance, acceleration and gravitation are not absolute, but relative, to moving frames of reference. 

Who was Bhaskara, after whom India’s second satellite was named?

Bhaskara (1114-1185 A.D.) was a famous Indian mathematician.

Which Indian scientist predicted the hydrogen line in the solar spectrum, X-ray emission from the Sun and molecules existing in interstellar space?

Maghnad Saha (1893-1956).

What were the other contributions of Fredrick Herschel to astronomy, besides his discovery of the planet Uranus?

Frederick Herschel, the German-British astronomer, was born in Hanover. At first, he was a musician, then took up astronomy and made a reflecting telescope in 1774. He discovered the planet Uranus, which he called ‘Georgium Sidus’ and in 1782, he was appointed astronomer to King George III. He also discovered 2 satellites of Saturn, the rotation of Saturn’s rings and the motions of binary stars.

Who was Aryabhatta, after whom India’s First satellite was named?

Aryabhatta (476-550 A.D.) was an astronomer and mathematician at the court of King Chandragupta Vikramaditya.

What was the contribution of the Indian astronomer and mathematician Aryabhatta?

Aryabhatta worked out a highly precise value for the Earth’s circumference. He also discovered the causes of solar and lunar eclipses and pointed on that the Sun is stationary and the Earth rotates.

What discoveries is Jean Foucault, French Physicist and astronomer, noted for?

Jean Foucault is noted mainly for his proof that light travels more slowly in water than in air, and his measurement of the speed of light. In 1851, he proved that the Earth rotates by using a freely suspended pendulum and studying the way it swings from side to side. He also invented the gyroscope and some optical instruments.

Name the Danish astronomer who detected serious mistakes in the astronomical tables of his time and revised them.

Tycho Brahe, originally studied law, but was more interested in astronomy. In 1563, he discovered serious mistakes in the astronomical tables then in use. He did much important work on the movement of the stars and the Moon.

When did the space age begin?

 The space age began on 4 October 1957 when the world’s first artificial satellite Sputnik-1 was launched.

Name the first living creature to be sent into space.

On 3 November 1957 the Russian dog Laika was sent into space on the Sputnik-2 spacecraft.

Who was the first man to enter space?

On 12 April 1961, Yuri Gagarin of Russia became the first man to enter space, on the Vostok –I spacecraft.

What is the relationship between the size of a star and its life span?

The more massive the star, the shorter is its life span. Stars having much more mass than the Sun burn their fuel prodigally in a flaming youth and hurry to an early death. For example, a star ten times as massive as the sun radiates a thousand times as much power, but survives for only a hundred million years. To sustain its greater weight, its nuclear furnace must burn hotter. The rate of nuclear fusion is very sensitive to temperature; at 20 million degrees the nuclear fuel is consumed 30,000 times faster than at million degrees.

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