Abstract
By introducing the mathematical concepts of eccentricity, epicycles, and equant, Ptolemy was able to accurately describe the orbit of planets and predict the positions of the Sun, the Moon, and the planets hundreds of years into the future. His work, summarized in the book Almagest , represented the highest point of science in the ancient times.
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Kwok, S. (2017). Cycles Upon Cycles. In: Our Place in the Universe. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-54172-3_13
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-54172-3_13
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