Question

galileo galilei lived in the italian city of pisa in the early 17th century. in 1610 he observed moons circling the planet jupiter with the newly invented telescope. this made him believe what another scientist, copernicus, thought: the earth orbited around the sun. most people, including the catholic church, believed the earth was the center of the universe. galileo would later be arrested by the inquisition for his teachings. galileo was a keen observer of everything around him. he was one of the first scientists to test a hypothesis using experiments. one of his most famous experiments was about gravity. people believed that heavier objects fell faster. galileo disagreed and began to ask questions: does the weight of an object really influence how fast it falls? when two objects are tied together—will the heavier one pull the other down faster? or will the lighter object slow down the heavier one? which of the following best describes the relationship between galileo and copernicus? a galileo and copernicus were good friends and worked together. b galileo didn’t believe copernicus’s theory and disproved it. c copernicus’s findings built from and expanded galileo’s theory d galileo’s findings supported copernicus’s theory

Explanation:

To solve this, we analyze each option:

• Option A: The text doesn't mention them being friends or working together. Eliminate A.
• Option B: Galileo used a telescope and believed Earth orbited the sun (supporting Copernicus' theory), so he didn't disbelieve it. Eliminate B.
• Option C: Copernicus' theory was about Earth orbiting the sun; Galileo's findings (like Jupiter's moons) supported and expanded on this, not the other way around. Eliminate C.
• Option D: Galileo's observations (e.g., Jupiter's moons) supported Copernicus' heliocentric theory, and his work expanded on it (like his experiments on gravity). This matches.

Answer:

D. Galileo's findings supported Copernicus's theory