Analysis of articles on scientific vulgarization about the centenary of the 1919 eclipse in Sobral and the supposed confirmation of general relativity

Abstract

One of the main objectives of Scientific Dissemination (DC) is to guarantee society access to scientific and technological knowledge through the means and / or vehicles of communication and social media, among other formal and non-formal spaces. The inclusion of DC in Science Education is also a recommendation of the National Curriculum Parameters (PCNs), one of the official documents that guide teaching practice, as it includes students in debates and themes on science and academic productions. Studies of scientific dissemination texts reveal, however, the presence of conceptual and historical mistakes that can lead to a mistaken idea of the construction of scientific knowledge. In this work, we analyzed scientific dissemination texts about the centenary of Eclipse in Sobral (Ceará), from 1919, which supposedly confirmed the Theory of General Relativity. In order to highlight the historical and conceptual misconceptions, we conducted a documentary research and compared the DC texts with a review of the historiographical literature. In the analyzed materials, we also detected the presence of an empirical-inductivist view and historical errors that tend to highlight Einstein's merits and Brazil's participation in the theory's “confirmation” process.