|
Search over 100 encyclopedias and dictionaries: |
Research categories | Follow us on Twitter |
Research categories
View all topics in the newsView all reference sources at Encyclopedia.com |
|||
Bode's law
Bode's law [for J. E. Bode ], also known as Titius's law or the Titius-Bode law, empirical relationship between the mean distances of the planets from the sun. If each number in the series 0, 3, 6, 12, 24, … (where a new number is twice the previous number) is increased by 4 and divided by 10 to form the series 0.4, 0.7, 1.0, 1.6, 2.8, 5.2, 10.0, 19.6, 38.8, 77.2, … , Bode's law holds that this series gives the mean distances of the planets from the sun, expressed in astronomical units . When this relationship was discovered by Titius of Wittenberg in 1766 and published by Bode six years later, it gave good agreement with the actual mean distances of the planets that were then known—Mercury (0.39), Venus (0.72), Earth (1.0), Mars (1.52), Jupiter (5.2), and Saturn (9.55). Uranus, discovered in 1781, has mean orbital distance 19.2, which also agrees. The asteroid Ceres, discovered 1801, has mean orbital distance 2.77, which fills the apparent gap between Mars and Jupiter. However, Neptune, discovered 1846, has mean orbital distance 30.1, and Pluto, discovered 1930 and now regarded as a dwarf planet, has mean orbital distance 39.5; these are large discrepancies from the positions 38.8 and 77.2, respectively, predicted by Bode's law. Some theories of the origin of the solar system have tried to explain the apparent regularity in the mean orbital distances of the planets, arguing that it could not arise by chance, but must be a manifestation of the laws of physics. Some astronomers have argued that the deviation of Neptune from its predicted positions signifies that it is no longer at its original positions in the solar system. However, since Bode's law is not a law in the usual scientific sense, i.e., it is not universal and invariant, it alone should not be taken as evidence for such a conclusion. |
|
|
Cite this article
"Bode's law." The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed.. 2011. Encyclopedia.com. 27 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. "Bode's law." The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed.. 2011. Encyclopedia.com. (May 27, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1E1-Bodeslaw.html "Bode's law." The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed.. 2011. Retrieved May 27, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1E1-Bodeslaw.html |
|
Bode's law
Bode's law A numerical sequence announced by J. E.Bode in 1772 which matches the distances from the Sun of the six planets then known. It is also known as the Titius–Bode law, as it was first pointed out by the German mathematician Johann Daniel Titius (1729–96) in 1766. It is formed from the sequence 0, 3, 6, 12, 24, 48, 96, 192 by adding 4 to each number. The planets were seen to fit this sequence quite well—as did Uranus, discovered in 1781. However, Neptune and Pluto do not conform to the ‘law’. Bode's law stimulated the search for a planet orbiting between Mars and Jupiter that led to the discovery of the first asteroids. It is often said that the law has no theoretical basis, but it does show how orbital resonance can lead to commensurability.
|
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Cite this article
"Bode's law." A Dictionary of Astronomy. 1997. Encyclopedia.com. 27 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. "Bode's law." A Dictionary of Astronomy. 1997. Encyclopedia.com. (May 27, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O80-Bodeslaw.html "Bode's law." A Dictionary of Astronomy. 1997. Retrieved May 27, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O80-Bodeslaw.html |
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Bode's law
Bode's law In astronomy, empirical numerical relationship for the mean distances of the planets from the Sun, named after the German astronomer Johann Bode (1747–1826). If 4 is added to the sequence 0, 3, 6, 12, 24, 48, 96, and 192, the result corresponds reasonably with the mean planetary distances – Earth's distance being equal to 10. This aided the discovery of Uranus (1781), but does not work for Neptune.
|
|
|
Cite this article
"Bode's law." World Encyclopedia. 2005. Encyclopedia.com. 27 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. "Bode's law." World Encyclopedia. 2005. Encyclopedia.com. (May 27, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O142-Bodeslaw.html "Bode's law." World Encyclopedia. 2005. Retrieved May 27, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O142-Bodeslaw.html |
|
Bode's law
Bode's law See TITIUS-BODE LAW.
|
|
|
Cite this article
AILSA ALLABY and MICHAEL ALLABY. "Bode's law." A Dictionary of Earth Sciences. 1999. Encyclopedia.com. 27 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. AILSA ALLABY and MICHAEL ALLABY. "Bode's law." A Dictionary of Earth Sciences. 1999. Encyclopedia.com. (May 27, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O13-Bodeslaw.html AILSA ALLABY and MICHAEL ALLABY. "Bode's law." A Dictionary of Earth Sciences. 1999. Retrieved May 27, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O13-Bodeslaw.html |
|
Search over 100 encyclopedias and dictionaries:
HighBeam™ Research, Inc. © Copyright 2012. All rights reserved.
The Encyclopedia.com advertising network includes:
