Scientific Revolution Before the Revolution Scholars relied on

Scientific Revolution

Before the Revolution… Scholars relied on established authorities for the truth… n Who were these established authorities? ? n

Before the Revolution… Established authorities included: n The Bible n Catholic Church n Ancient Greeks/Romans (like Aristotle & Ptolemy) n

Pre-Revolution: Alchemists n Early scientists who used spells & magic formulas

Pre-Revolution: Astrologers Studied the position of the stars & planets, as well as the way in which the positions of these bodies affected people’s lives n Contributed to the body of information regarding the cosmos n

New Beliefs Emerge

New Beliefs Emerge Principle of Doubt: n Nothing can be believed unless it has be proven through experimentation n New instruments: n Barometer, microscope, thermometer n

Pre-Revolution: Geocentricity Earth as the center of the universe n Planets & sun rotate around earth n Idea from Aristotle/Ptolemy n

Pre-Revolution: Geocentricity n According to Church doctrine, God created the universe to serve his people; therefore, the people’s home must be the center of the universe

Nicolaus Copernicus Polish astronomer n Wrote On the Revolution of Heavenly Spheres n

New Theory: Heliocentricity Sun as the center of the universe – Heliocentric Theory! n Planets rotate around it n

Nicolaus Copernicus Stated that Earth rotated on an axis & revolved around the sun n Fearing persecution, Copernicus did not publish his findings until 1543, the last year of his life n (he received a copy of his book on his deathbed!)

Johannes Kepler n German Astronomer & Mathematician

Johannes Kepler Stated that the planets move in an oval-shaped path (ellipses) n Used mathematics to prove the heliocentric theory n

Galileo Galilee Italian Mathematician n Copernican theory n Wrote Dialogue on Two Great World Systems n

Galileo’s Observations Built a new telescope – observed… n Sun Spots n Earth rotates on its axis n Rings on Saturn n Moons of Jupiter n

Galileo’s Observations Mountains & valleys of the moon n Rate at which objects fall (32 feet per sec) minus the friction of air n

Galileo Galilee Stood trial for heresy – why? n Due to the Inquisition Galileo was threatened with torture and was forced to recant his scientific position n

Galileo Galilee n n n “With sincere heart and unpretended faith I abjure, curse, and detest the aforesaid errors and heresies [of Copernicus] and also every other error…contrary to the Holy Church, and I swear that in the future I will never again say or assert…anything that might cause a similar suspicion toward me. ” He lived under house arrest until he died (blind) in 1642 In 1992, the Catholic Church officially acknowledged that Galileo had been right…

Sir Isaac Newton English Scientist n Discovered the law of universal gravitation n Developed calculus n

Sir Isaac Newton Wrote Mathematic Principles of Natural Science n Precise mathematical formulas could describe an orderly universe n

Conclusions The Scientific Revolution: n Created an atmosphere of skepticism n Emphasized the importance of using the Scientific Method n Impacted law, study of history, chronology & eventually philosophy n