The Ptolemaic model probably persisted for all these reasons EXCEPT:
A)it had the authority of Aristotle behind it.
B)it was consistent with the doctrines of the Catholic Church.
C)it used perfect circles, which appealed to geometry.
D)it accounted well for Galileo's observations of the phase cycle of Venus.
E)it explain why stellar parallax was not observed by the Greeks.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The Ptolemaic model did not account for Galileo's observations of the phase cycle of Venus, as this was one of the major pieces of evidence that eventually led to the acceptance of the heliocentric model. All the other reasons listed (the authority of Aristotle, consistency with the Catholic Church, appeal to geometry, and explanation for lack of stellar parallax) were factors that contributed to the persistence of the Ptolemaic model. The Ptolemaic model did not account well for Galileo's observations of the phase cycle of Venus, as it predicted that Venus should always appear as a thin crescent when it was closest to Earth, whereas Galileo observed that Venus went through phases similar to the Moon.

The Ptolemaic Model Probably Persisted for All These Reasons EXCEPT