Throughout history, humans have looked to the stars for answers. It's likely that stargazing gave rise to the science of astronomy, possibly the oldest science known to humankind. As civilizations advanced, they became more dependent on understanding the patterns and cycles of celestial bodies. Farmers relied upon astrological calendars to plant and harvest their crops; sailors steered across vast oceans using celestial maps. Modern astronomy owes much to the ancient civilizations of the past. In fact, the roots of astronomy can be traced to somewhere around 4000 B.C., when the oldest astronomical observations ever recorded took place in both Egypt and Central America. Also important were the ancient civilizations of China and Mesopotamia. They developed solar and lunar calendars that date
back to 2000 B.C. Equally, the ancient Greeks made great advances in the science of astronomy. Their approach to science was based on mathematical models and calculations. They explained natural events through
a process of logic and observation. Ptolemy's Almagest, written around 150 A.D., forever affixed the mathematical approach to astronomy. However, he theorized that the solar system was geocentric, meaning that the Earth was the center of the solar system. Hundreds of years later, during the Renaissance, a Polish-born astronomer named Copernicus published his On the Revolutions of the Celestial Spheres in 1543 A.D. In this work he held that the solar system was in fact heliocentric, meaning that the Sun—not the Earth—was the center of the solar system. More than a century later, in 1687 A.D., Sir Isaac Newton, a founder of modern astronomy, published his theory of universal gravitation. Not until the twentieth century would the scientific community again alter its understanding of the universe through the works of Albert Einstein.
According to the article, what happened before Ptolemy wrote his Almagest?
A. Albert Einstein changed universal theory in the twentieth century.
B. Sir Isaac Newton altered universal theory in the seventeenth century.
C. Copernicus wrote his On the Revolutions of the Heavenly Spheres.
D. The Greeks formed an approach to science based on mathematics
D. The Greeks formed an approach to science based on mathematics.
Explanation:
From the article, it can be seen that before the Plotemy wrote his Almagest, "The Greeks formed am approach to science based on mathematics."
This is evident when the article says "the ancient Greeks made great advances in the science of astronomy. Their approach to science was based on mathematical models and calculations. They explained natural events through a process of logic and observation."
