Ah, I did not know that the systems of Tycho and Copernic were the same. I think that when most scientists (and bravura above) invoke Occam's razor, it's to pi

Ah, I did not know that the systems of Tycho and Copernic were the same. I think that when most scientists (and bravura above) invoke Occam's razor, it's to pick one of two non-equivalent theories. For instance, the Ptolemaic system made predictions that were, given the limited accuracy of the instruments at the time, indistinguishable from the Copernician system. But I'm quite sure that scientists felt justified in "betting" on Copernic because the equations are simpler, and use fewer arbitrary constants.