What Prevented Ole Rømer from Calculating an Accurate Value for the Speed

question 179

Multiple Choice

What prevented Ole Rømer from calculating an accurate value for the speed of light from his measurements of the delays in eclipse times of Jupiter's moons?

• A) The dimensions of the solar system, particularly the length of 1 au, were not known very accurately.
• B) Telescopes were not good enough at that time to show Jupiter's moons clearly, and accurate timings were not possible.
• C) The distance between Earth's orbit and Jupiter's orbit was unknown.
• D) The clocks available at that time were not sufficiently accurate.

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Definitions:

Confederate

An individual who is part of a group with a common cause or goal, often used in the context of experimental research to describe a person who is secretly working with the experimenter.

Egoism

Egoism is a theory or philosophy where the self-interest or self-concern is the foundation of morality, prioritizing one's own benefit in decision-making.

Reciprocity

A social norm of responding to a positive action with another positive action, rewarding kind actions as opposed to indifferent or hostile actions.

Basic Personality Measures

Assessments or tests designed to evaluate fundamental aspects of an individual’s character or disposition.