"Version: 20251201"--Title page verso.Includes bibliographical references.1. Science as a human endeavor -- 1.1. Our attempts to understand the Universe -- 1.2. Motivations and questions : how science evolves -- 1.3. Cautionary tales from "failed science" -- 1.4. The role of mathematics -- 1.5. Mathematical modeling : a crucial skill for physics -- 1.6. Exercises2. Celestial spheres and planeta…