Our modern thoughts on science were brought about by what is known ad the scientific revolution. It transformed the fields of all the sciences including, mathematics, physics, astronomy, biology, medicine, and chemistry. Many believe this period in time began during the renaissance in Europe and continued on through the 18th century. Two main figures in the scientific revolution were Sir Issac Newton, who was an English physicist and mathematician, and Galileo Galilei an Italian physicist, mathematician, astronomer, and philosopher.
Galileo Galilei was born in 1564 and was an Italian mathematician and physicist. His work included the construction of a telescope as well as supported the theory of Copernicus that stated that the sun was the center of the solar system. The church accused him twice of heresy for his scientific beliefs, and wrote books on these ideas. He died in Italy in 1642 (Galileo.Biography, n.d).
Galileo started his academic career by enter the University of Pisa where he studied medicine. During his studies he was exposed to other subjects including mathematics and physics. Galileo left the university before his studies were completed in 1585. In 1589 Galileo began teaching mathematics at the University of Pisa, and it is here where he began his experiments with falling objects and it is there where he wrote his manuscript “ Du Motu (On Motion)”. In 1604 Galileo began expanding on his theories of motion and falling objects, and developed the law of acceleration, which all objects obey (Galileo.Biography, n.d.).
In 1609, Galileo began to develop his own telescope after learning about simple telescopes being built by dutch eyeglass makers. Venetian merchants purchased his telescopes so that they may spot ships; this gave Galileo an income to build more telescopes. Later on that year, he decided to use his telescope to look up at the heavens. In 1610 he published “ The Starry Messenger” which detailed his observations that the moon was not flat or smooth, but rather circular with many craters and mountains (Galileo.Biography, n.d.). With the use of his telescope he found that Venus had phases like the moon did, proving that it rotated around the sun; and that Jupiter had moons revolving around it, which didn’t revolve around earth. This gave Galileo more evidence that supported Copernicus’s theory. His work would later get him into trouble by the church; and from September 1632 – July 1633 the church conducted inquisition proceedings. Galileo while never imprisoned was threatened with torture; he admitted that he supported Copernicus’s theory, but only privately would he admit that the theory was correct. Galileo was convicted of heresy and would spend the remainder of his life under house arrest.
Nearly 100 years later, Sir Issace Newton continued Galileo’s work and used his scientific publications to build his own theories. Sir Issac Newton is regarded as one of the most influential scientist’s of all time. His contributions to science laid the foundation for modern day mechanics; as well as the understanding of optics. As a child Issac Newton suffered many set backs. Issac Newton was born prematurely on the 25 of December 1642 in England. His father, also named Issac Newton, died three months before his birth. At the age of three Newton was sent to live with his maternal grand mother when his mother remarried. Following his stepfather’s death, whom Newton terribly disliked, his mother took him out of school in the hopes of turning him into a farmer. Due to his hatred for farming, the master of former school persuaded his mother to send him back so that he may complete his education (Issac Newton. Biography, n.d.). It turns out a schoolyard bully motivated the young Newton to excel in school, and become the top ranked student.
His work in the field of optics began in 1664 while he was a student. His experiments centered on the use of a glass prism and the idea of the refraction of light. He realized that white light was in fact a mixture of colors. The appearance of a color depended on the angle it refracted through the glass prism. His experiments and beliefs lead to great criticism by the scientific community, which believed that colors were modified forms of white light. By 1692, Newton published his work in the paper “Optiks”; but it was not until 1715 when most of the critics to his work had died, that his theories became the model of interweaving theory with quantitative experimentation (Issac Newton. Biography, n.d.).
Newton’s best-known work was in the theory of gravity. The story is well known regarding the apple falling from the tree. It was seeing this phenomenon that Newton conceived the idea that the same forces that governed that apple falling from the tree, governed the movement of the moon. He believed that the same force that kept the moon in orbit caused the apple to fall from the tree. His work in mathematics, astronomy and physics also lead him to the calculation of the force that is needed to hold a stone in a sling as well as the relationship between the length of a pendulum and the amount of time it takes to swing from side to side (Issac Newton. Biography, n.d.).
Newton’s book I of the “Principia” he explained that gravity is the principle force that controls the motion of the sun, moon, and stars. The second book integrates the theory of fluids specifically the movement of fluids and motion through fluids. Finally book III explains how the laws that govern gravity work in the universe. In this book he described the motion of the planets, including earths movement, however he could not ascertain the movement of the moon. He was also able to calculate the masses of the celestial bodies in relation to their gravitational forces. Newton’s work was accepted almost immediately in the scientific community of Britain, but it took nearly half a century for his work to be accepted universally (Issac Newton. Biography, n.d.).
Science is not a singular subject. All aspects integrate with each other, and therefore it is obvious that one would build their scientific theories on previous ones.. These scientists contributed greatly to the development of modern day science, and changed the course of history by defying the norms that were presented to them.
Works Cited
Galileo. (n.d). In bio. True story. Retrieved from: http://www.biography.com/people/galileo-9305220?page=2
Issac Newton. (n.d). In bio. True story. Retrieved from: www.biography.com/people/isaac-newton-9422656
