Rømer's determination of the speed of light

High school (ages 12+)
Science & Technology

Name:

Date:

Step 1 · Read the article

Open the article and read it at the level above. Then answer the questions below in your own words.

https://smallwhale.org/articles/r-mer-s-determination-of-the-speed-of-light

Write what each word means, using the article.

Do not copy the article. Write two things you learned, the way you would explain them to a friend.

Answers below are taken from the article’s stored facts, so they match what the student read.

1. What is the discoverer?Ole Rømer
2. What is the year of publication of findings?1676
3. What did Rømer discover about light?Rømer showed that light does not travel instantly; it takes a measurable amount of time to move from one place to another.
4. How did Rømer figure out light takes time?He watched the moons of Jupiter, especially Io, and noticed that the times when Io disappeared or reappeared changed depending on how far Earth was from Jupiter.

Instantaneous Propagation: The concept that light travels infinitely fast, arriving at its destination immediately.
Empirical Validation: The process of confirming a hypothesis or theory through direct observation and experimentation.
Stellar Aberration: An astronomical phenomenon causing the apparent position of stars to shift due to Earth's motion and the finite speed of light.
Theory of Special Relativity: Albert Einstein's theory stating that the speed of light in a vacuum is constant for all observers and is the maximum speed possible.