Download Testing the Claims of Astrology

Name: ____________________
Testing the Claims of Astrology
INTRODUCTION:
Astrology is an ancient superstition, which began some 3,000 years ago in Babylonia and was based on a mystical view of
the sky. It was codified in the form we know today about 2,000 years ago. Its basic idea is that the positions of the Sun,
Moon and planets at the time of a person's birth will influence his or her personality, destiny, career choice, and life (different
schools of astrology disagree about which of the above to include). In this lab we will examine some claims of astrology and
see how well it holds up under the scrutiny of the scientific method.
1. SIGNS AND CONSTELLATIONS:
The most important factor in astrology is your Sun-sign, the part of the sky where the Sun was located at the moment when
you were born. Astrologers claim that the Sun is in the constellation of your Sun-sign at the time of your birth.
What is the Month and Day of your Birth? _________________
(What is your sign, see Col A) ___________________
What constellation is the Sun in on your birthday (Col C)? ______________________
The plot of the position of the Sun for each day of the year is called the ecliptic. Find the ecliptic on the Star
Chart, on the chart, what constellation is nearest the Sun on your birthday? ___________________________
For each of the other twelve signs, compare the dates that the Sun enters those constellations with the dates
listed in Column A.
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What constellation corresponds to November 29 to December 17 in Table 1, column C? _________________
On an attached sheet, explain why the signs of the astrologer's zodiac are not lined up with the constellations
today (hint look up “precession of the equinoxes”). Explain how this does or does not affect the claims of
modern Astrologers.
Table 1
Column B
Column C
Revised for 2000 Years
Revise to show true
of precession
Location of the Sun
Aries
3/21 - 4/19
4/18 - 5/18
4/18 - 5/12
Taurus
4/20 - 5/20
5/19 - 6/18
5/13 - 6/20
Gemini
5/21 - 6/20
6/19 - 7/20
6/21 - 7/19
Cancer
6/21 - 7/22
7/21 - 8/20
7/20 - 8/9
Leo
7/23 - 8/22
8/21 - 9/20
8/10 - 9/5
Virgo
8/23 - 9/22
9/21 - 10/20
9/6 - 10/29
Libra
9/23 - 10/22
10/21 - 11/19
10/30 - 11/22
Scorpius
10/23 - 11/21
11/20 - 12/19
11/23 - 11/28
Ophiuchus
NONE
NONE
11/29 - 12/17
Sagittarius
11/22 - 12/21
12/20 - 1/17
12/18 - 1/18
Capricorn
12/22 - 1/19
1/18 - 2/16
1/19 - 2/15
Aquarius
1/20 - 2/18
2/17 - 3/18
2/16 - 3/11
Pisces
2/19 - 3/20
3/19 - 4/17
3/12 - 4/17
Column A - Traditional dates of signs, i.e. the dates used for horoscopes in newspapers and magazines.
Column B - Dates of signs after taking into account the precession of the Earth over the past 2,000 years.
Column C - Dates based on actual location of the Sun and the constellation boundaries established by the IAU in 1928.
Constellation (Sign)
Column A
Unrevised Dates
2. SIGNS AS PREDICTORS OF SUCCESS
Astrologers often claim that the sun-sign is a good predictor of personal abilities or talents. If that is true, we should see
some pattern in the signs of people who succeed in highly competitive professions. Many careers may be used, such as
entertainment, athletics, scientists, or politicians. Below is a list of the presidents of the United States and their birthdays.
Look up their sign , then count how many are of each sign.
Name (Birth date)
1.George Washington (02/22/1732)
2. John Adams
(10/30/1735)
3. Thomas Jefferson (04/13/1743)
4. James Madison
(03/16/1751)
5. James Monroe
(04/28/1758)
6. John Q. Adams
(07/11/1767)
7. Andrew Jackson (03/15/1767)
8. Martin Van Buren (12/05/1782)
9. William Harrison (02/09/1773)
10. John Tyler
(03/29/1790)
11. James Polk
(11/02/1795)
12. Zachary Taylor (11/24/1784)
13. Millard Fillmore (01/07/1800)
14. Franklin Pierce (11/23/1804)
15. James Buchanan (04/23/1791)
16. Abraham Lincoln (02/12/1809)
17. Andrew Johnson (12/29/1808)
18. Ulysses S. Grant (04/27/1822)
19. Rutherford Hayes (10/04/1822)
20. James Garfield (11/19/1831)
21. Chester Arthur (10/05/1830)
Sign
Name (Birth date)
22. Grover Cleveland (03/18/1837)
23. Benjamin Harrison (08/20/1933)
24. William McKinley (01/29/1843)
25. Teddy Roosevelt
(10/27/1858)
26. William Taft
(9/15/1857)
27. Woodrow Wilson (12/28/1856)
28. Warren Harding
(11/02/1865)
29. Calvin Coolidge
(07/04/1872)
30. Herbert Hoover
(08/10/1874)
31. Franklin Roosevelt (01/30/1882)
32. Harry Truman
(05/08/1884)
33. Dwight Eisenhower (10/14/1890)
34. John Kennedy
(05/29/1917)
35. Lyndon Johnson
(08/27/1908)
36. Richard Nixon
(01/09/1913)
37. Gerald Ford
(07/14/1913)
38. Jimmy Carter
(10/01/1924)
39. Ronald Reagan
(02/06/1911)
40. George Bush
(06/12/1924)
41. William Clinton
(08/19/1946)
42. George W. Bush
(07/06/1946)
Sign
Tallies
Aquarius (1/20 – 2/18)
Pisces (2/19 – 3/20)
Aries (3/21 – 4/19)
Taurus (4/20 – 5/20)
Gemini (5/21 – 6/20)
Cancer (6/21 – 7/22)
Leo (7/23 – 8/22)
Virgo (8/23 – 9/22)
Libra (9/23 – 10/22)
Scorpius (10/23 – 11/21)
Sagittarius (11/22 – 12/21)
Capricorn (12/22 – 1/19)
Now consult the tallies of presidents per sign to fill out the following questions
What is the maximum number? ________ which sign(s) have the Maximum? __________________________
What is the minimum number? _________Which sign(s) have the Minimum? __________________________
If the presidents are randomly distributed among the 12 signs, how
many would you expect per sign? (i.e. the average number per sign) ________________
Does this support the hypothesis that Astrology is a good predictor of success? Why or why not? How would you improve
this test? (You may use another sheet of paper if you need more room for discussion)
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3. THE DAILY HOROSCOPE:
Another claim of Astrology is accuracy and consistency of astrological portraits and predictions. Obviously, astrologers all
claim their work is accurate, consequently, for all astrologers to be accurate they must also be consistent. In other words,
although specific wording may change from one astrologer to another the gist of the horoscopes and charts ought to be the
same.
To test consistency, find the horoscope for your sign from three different astrologers for the same day. The world-wide-web
and most major newspapers are good sources of horoscopes. Sometimes several papers will buy the horoscopes from the
same astrologer, so be sure to note who wrote each horoscope. On a separate sheet, attach copies of your horoscopes
(print them out if found on-line), write the astrologer's name and attach a written analysis of the similarities and
differences you see.
To test accuracy, obtain horoscopes for all twelve signs for a given day. Print out one copy with the horoscopes and signs.
Produce one copy with all information identifying the sign removed but the date of the horoscope remaining, and
randomize the order of the horoscopes. Show this to copy to about ten ‘test subjects’ and ask them to select which horoscope
most accurately matches their day on the date in question. Ask them if they believe that horoscopes accurately describe their
day, if so what is their Sun-sign and Birthday (to corroborate their answer). Check if they correctly identified their
horoscope.
On a separate sheet, write up the results of your test. Does it support or contradict the claim of Astrology? Evaluate
the efficacy of this test, and how would you improve it?
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