Understanding Earth’s Origin
Earth’s shape and motion
• The Earth is not a perfect sphere; it is slightly flattened at the poles and bulged at the equator due to its rotation.
• It rotates on its axis from west to east.
Birth of earth
• Earth originated approximately 4.54 billion years ago when it emerged as a barren, rocky planet with an atmosphere composed primarily of hydrogen and helium.
• Over time, the composition of Earth’s atmosphere evolved to primarily nitrogen and oxygen.
Early theories on the origin of the Earth
• Thales:
– Thales offered a scientific explanation, stating that all things arise from water and eventually dissolve back into it.
• Anaximenes:
– Anaximenes theorized that all things originated from air, which turned into fire, then into liquid, and finally solidified into earth.
• Pythagoras:
– Pythagoras suggested that despite differences between substances, all substances represented a unified form, without attributing the origin of the world to any one substance.
• Heraclitus:
– Heraclitus proposed fire as the basic element responsible for the origin of the world, emphasizing the dynamic and ever-changing nature of the elements.
Theories on the origin of the earth
• Monistic Concept:
– Proponents suggest that the planets originated from a common source.
• Comet hypothesis:
– The proposal is that a comet that hit the Sun fragmented, leading to the formation of the planets.
• Gaseous hypothesis:
– It turns out that the solar system was formed due to the collision of particles of divine matter.
• Nebular hypothesis:
– Describes the formation of planets from hot rotating nebulae.
• Meteorological hypothesis:
– It is suggested that the planets formed from interstellar matter absorbed by the Sun.
• Dualistic hypothesis:
– It is proposed that the planets originated from the union of two stars.
– It includes sub-theories such as fragmentation theory, planetary hypothesis, tidal hypothesis, binary star hypothesis, supernova hypothesis and interstellar dust hypothesis.
• Modern hypothesis:
– Contemporary theories such as the Big Bang Theory and the Cosmic Inflation Theory trace the creation of the universe and its connection with the formation of the Earth.
Modern theory
• Big Bang Theory:
– Suggests that the universe originated from a single point and expanded rapidly.
• Cosmic Inflation Theory:
– The proposal that the early universe experienced a rapid expansion shortly after the Big Bang is supported by the discovery of gravitational waves.
Earth’s shape, slightly flattened at the poles and bulged at the equator due to rotation, originated about 4.54 billion years ago as a barren, rocky planet with a thin atmosphere of hydrogen and helium, which later became primarily nitrogen and oxygen. developed into. Early philosophers such as Thales, Anaximenes, Pythagoras, and Heraclitus proposed diverse theories on the Earth’s origin, from water to fire as the fundamental element. Various hypotheses emerged, including the monistic hypothesis suggesting a common source for the planets and the nebula hypothesis describing the formation of planets from a rotating nebula. Modern theories such as the Big Bang theory propose rapid expansion from a single point. These concepts collectively contribute to our understanding of the Earth’s origins.
BRIEF SUMMARY
1. Due to rotation, the shape of the Earth is slightly flattened at the poles and raised at the equator.
2. Earth came into existence about 4.54 billion years ago as a rocky planet, whose atmosphere was composed primarily of hydrogen and helium.
3. Early philosophers such as Thales, Anaximenes, Pythagoras, and Heraclitus proposed various theories about the Earth’s origin, ranging from water and air as the fundamental elements to fire as the root cause.
4. Many theories attempt to explain the formation of the Earth, including the monistic hypothesis, the comet hypothesis, the gaseous hypothesis, the nebular hypothesis, the meteorite hypothesis, and the dualistic hypothesis.
5. Modern theories, such as the Big Bang theory and the cosmic inflation theory, delve deeper into the broader context of the creation of the universe and its connection with the formation of the Earth.
6. The Big Bang theory suggests that the universe originated from a single point and expanded rapidly, creating celestial bodies.
7. The cosmic inflation theory posits that the universe expanded rapidly shortly after the Big Bang, which is supported by evidence such as the discovery of gravitational waves.