SOME COMMON MISCONCEPTIONS ABOUT PHYSICS &ASTRONOMY

Dr. Neil Comins's List

• gravity does not exist in empty space
• gravity should eventually pull all planets together
• the moon's gravitational pull on the Earth is less than the Earth's on the moon
• heavier objects fall at a greater rate
• revolution and rotation mean the same thing
• theory in science was any idea, not necessarily one that could be tested
• science progresses in an orderly manner
• mass and weight are the same thing
• water drains differently in the southern hemisphere
• Newtonian physics is exactly correct
• only the first trip (Apollo 11) landed on the moon
• the moon landing was a hoax
• all astronomers are observers or use telescopes
• astronomers spend most of their time looking through telescopes
• astronomy is just looking at stars and constellations
• physics has no bearing on astronomy

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Astronomy

• The Sun is not a star.
• The Sun will never burn out.
• The Sun rises exactly in the east and sets exactly in the west every day.
• The Sun is always directly overhead at 12:00 noon.
• We experience seasons because of Earth’s changing distance from the Sun–––closer in summer, farther in winter.
• The Earth is the center of the solar system. The planets, Sun and Moon revolve around the Earth.
• The Moon can only be seen during the night.
• The Moon does not rotate on its axis as it revolves around the Earth.
• The phases of the Moon are caused by the shadow of the Earth on the Moon.
• The phases of the Moon are caused by the Moon moving into the Sun’s shadow.
• Different countries see different phases of the Moon on the same day.
• Meteors are falling stars.
• All the stars in a constellation are near each other.
• All the stars are the same distance from the Earth.
• Stars are evenly distributed throughout the galaxy.
• All stars are the same size.
• The brightness of a star depends only on its distance from the Earth.
• Stars and constellations appear in the same place in the sky every night.
• Planets appear in the sky in the same place every night.
• The Moon goes around the earth in a single day.
• The Earth’s revolution around the sun causes night and day
• Day and night are caused by the Sun going around the Earth

• The terms “energy” and “force” are interchangeable.
• An object at rest has no energy.
• The only type of potential energy is gravitational.
• Gravitational potential energy depends only on the height of an object.
• There is no relationship between matter and energy.
• Time is defined in terms of its measurement.
• The effects of light are instantaneous. Light does not travel with a finite speed.
• Gamma rays, x-rays, ultraviolet light, visible light, infrared light, microwaves and radio waves are different entities.
• The magnetic pole of the Earth in the northern hemisphere is a north pole, and the pole in the southern hemisphere is a south pole.