Age of Experimentation

Question 1

What concept is closely associated with the birth of experimentalism?

Answer 1

Lack of refrigeration.

Question 2

What group of people was meat restricted to in medieval times and why?

Answer 2

Restricted to upper classes and priests. No refrigeration, would go bad.

Question 3

What did the Arabs have to offer Europeans in terms of trade? Why did they not want to trade with Europeans?

Answer 3

• Spices

- Saw them as lower class, dirty, with nothing to offer

Question 4

What did the Arabs want in return for their trades?

Answer 4

Gold.

Question 5

What are two significant texts on alchemy? When were they written?

Answer 5

• Physica et mystica 200 BC

- The Secrete of Secrets - Razi Al 850 AD

Question 6

What were the two goals of alchemy?

Answer 6

1. Elixir of life

2. Transmutation

Question 7

Who was the last alchemist? What was his bestselling book about? How did he die?

Answer 7

• James Price
• “making gold from mercury”
• Suicide, “gentlemen I forgot something”, walked through door and killed himself

Question 8

What are the 4 important approaches towards science that were discussed in class?

Answer 8

1. Experimental approach
2. By 1600s, producing dyes, perfumes
3. Alchemy - chemistry
4. Most famous scientists were alchemists, Robert Boyle, Sceptical Chemist

Question 9

What society was James Price a member of?

Answer 9

Royal Society.

Question 10

What was William Gildbert associated with?

Answer 10

• His text De Magnate
• Magnetism - electricity
• Repeatable experiments

Question 11

What was Francis Bacon associated with?

Answer 11

• New method (experimentalism) to undermine Aristotle.

- his methodology for establishing “facts”

Question 12

What is a controversy Bacon is famously associated with.

Answer 12

Maybe he wrote Shakespeare’s plays. He was a great writer.

Question 13

What are Bacon’s 5 rules by which laws of nature will be discovered?

Answer 13

1. Repeatable experiments
2. Reductionism (taking it to smallest components possible)
3. Objectivity
4. Public witnessing
5. Scientific publications

Question 14

What is the Instauratio Magna? Who wrote it?

Answer 14

• Bacon wrote it.

- A novel which describes a new methodology of how science and knowledge is power.

Question 15

What was on the cover of the Instauratio Magna? What did this signify?

Answer 15

The pillars of Hercules, aka edge of Mediterranean. Represents border of ancient knowledge. Cover implies we must move past pillars and expand our knowledge.

Question 16

What did Giordano Bruno believe in?

Answer 16

Heliocentrism.

Question 17

Who was Robert Merton influenced by?

Answer 17

Puritans, critiques of ancient knowledge.

Question 18

What is Millenarianism?

Answer 18

The idea that the second coming of Jesus would be coming up soon, i.e. the end of the world is soon.

Question 19

How was the Royal Society of London funded? How was the Academy of sciences in France funded?

Answer 19

London - Privately

France - Government

Question 20

What did the Royal Society and the Academy of sciences thrive upon?

Answer 20

Making money, creating a “middle class” by utilizing science and technology.

Question 21

What were the Philosophical Transactions of 1665?

Answer 21

First scientific journals, nothing to do with philosophy.

Question 22

What are some of Newton’s greatest accomplishments?

Answer 22

‘Inventing’ fluxions (calculus), and laws of gravity and motion.

Question 23

What year was “anno mirabilis”? What does this mean?

Answer 23

1666, wonderful year.

Question 24

What did Newton do with his new discoveries? Why?

Answer 24

Nothing, he didn’t publish and did not follow Baconian system. He was an alchemist.

Question 25

What did Newton study more than anything else?

Answer 25

Alchemy.

Question 26

What would Newton believe to be the elixir of life? What would happen when he’d drink it?

Answer 26

Mercury. Would become paranoid.

Question 27

Why did Newton not share his great findings?

Answer 27

Because he did them in secret, due to alchemy being his day job.

Question 28

Who was a known nemesis of Newton’s?

Answer 28

Robert Hooke.

Question 29

What did Robert Hooke ask Newton about as part of the Royal society? Why could Newton not publish on these subjects?

Answer 29

Asked him about movement of planets, and of gravity. Newton did such a good job of hiding his notes on the subjects that he lost them.

Question 30

What were significant about Newtonian laws?

Answer 30

They were universal. First time that everyone was considered to have the same laws applied to them.

Question 31

What was a large feud between Hooke and Newton in regards to? What was the result of this feud?

Answer 31

Newton accused Hooke of lying and stealing his idea for a reflective telescope. Newton swore never to publish again until Hooke died.

Question 32

What was Newton’s first published book?

Answer 32

Principia Mathematica.

Question 33

What was Newton’s second published book? What did it consist of? What was so significant about it?

Answer 33

Optics:

• Behaviour of light
• Light as a matter

Significance:

• English would be language of science ever since this book
• Climax of scientific revolution
• First book on how to conduct modern science based on Baconian principles

Question 34

What was a definition of science given in class?

Answer 34

Science is a standardized method system for obtaining facts/knowledge.

Question 35

What did experimentation with electricity, vacuum and steam lead to?

Answer 35

Industrial and transportation revolution.