exam prep Flashcards
What is the House of Wisdom?
Major center of learning in Baghdad, founded in 832 under Caliph al-Ma’mun.
Translated Greek, Persian, and Indian texts into Arabic; included math, astronomy, and medicine.
What was the significance of the House of Wisdom?
Preserved and enhanced classical knowledge; major influence on later European science.
What is the Printing Press?
Movable-type press developed by Gutenberg in Mainz, Germany around 1440.
Enabled mass production and circulation of books; spread humanist and scientific ideas.
What was the significance of the Printing Press?
Essential to Renaissance, Reformation, and Scientific Revolution; decentralized knowledge.
What is Jesuit Science?
Scientific teaching and research by Jesuit missionaries from the 16th century onward.
Taught math and astronomy; in China, contributed to calendrical reform and knowledge exchange.
What was the significance of Jesuit Science?
Bridged Eastern and Western knowledge; enhanced role of science in religious missions.
What was the Manhattan Project?
Secret U.S. program (1942–1946) to develop atomic bombs.
Employed top scientists; created bombs used in Hiroshima and Nagasaki.
What was the significance of the Manhattan Project?
Birth of nuclear age and ‘Big Science’; redefined role of science in geopolitics.
What is the Scientific Method?
Framework for empirical, rational investigation of the natural world.
Bacon promoted inductive empiricism; Descartes emphasized rational deduction.
What was the significance of the Scientific Method?
Foundations for modern science; legitimated experimentation and observation.
What are Kepler’s Laws of Planetary Motion?
Three laws describing planetary orbits, published by Johannes Kepler in 1609 and 1619.
Described elliptical orbits and orbital velocity; broke from perfect-circle models.
What was the significance of Kepler’s Laws of Planetary Motion?
Supported heliocentrism; influenced Newton’s law of gravitation.
What is the Columbian Exchange?
Widespread transfer of plants, animals, and diseases between Old and New Worlds following Columbus’s 1492 voyages.
Included crops (maize, potatoes), animals (horses), and microbes (smallpox).
What was the significance of the Columbian Exchange?
Transformed ecosystems, agriculture, and populations; boosted scientific interest in nature.
What are Botanical Gardens?
Institutional collections of plants, often with medical or economic goals, established in Europe from the 16th century.
Used for study, acclimatization of exotic plants; supported colonial science.
What was the significance of Botanical Gardens?
Tools of empire; merged scientific research with imperial economics.
Who was Linnaeus and what is Taxonomy?
Carl Linnaeus (1707–1778), Swedish botanist; created binomial classification.
Classified living organisms based on shared traits; ignored evolution.
What was the significance of Linnaeus and Taxonomy?
Standardized biological classification; shaped biology and natural history.
What is Lamarckian Evolution?
Early theory of evolution by Jean-Baptiste Lamarck (1744–1829).
Species evolved through use/disuse of traits; shaped by environment.
What was the significance of Lamarckian Evolution?
First full theory of biological transformation; influenced Darwin.
What is the Germ Theory of Disease?
Theory that microorganisms cause many diseases, advanced in the 19th century.
Advanced by Pasteur, Koch; used microscopes and controlled experiments.
What was the significance of the Germ Theory of Disease?
Revolutionized medicine and sanitation; led to vaccines and public health policies.
What was the Space Race?
U.S.-Soviet competition in space exploration from 1957 to 1975.
Included Sputnik, moon landing; linked to military and scientific prestige.
What was the significance of the Space Race?
Accelerated innovation in computers, satellites, and physics; shaped public views of science.
