Scientific Revolution Flashcards
What was the geocentric theory ?
A belief that the earth was an immovable object located at the center of the universe. Supported by common sense, i.e. sun appeared to be moving around the earth as it rose in the morning and set at night.
Who was the main proponent of the geocentric theory ?
Aristotle and Ptolemy. Christianity also supported it as “God had deliberately placed earth at the center of the universe.
What was the Scientific Revolution ?
In the mid 1500s scholars began to challenge the ideas of the ancient thinkers and the church. This lead to a change in European thought called the Scientific Revolution. A new way of thinking about the natural world. Based upon careful observation and willingness to question accepted beliefs.
What is the heliocentric theory ?
The word “helios” in Greek means “sun.” Heliocentric means that the sun is at the center. A heliocentric system is one in which the planets revolve around a fixed sun. Thus Mercury, Venus, the Earth, Mars, Jupiter and Saturn all revolve around the sun. The moon is the only celestial sphere in this system which revolves around the earth, and, together with it, around the sun.
This theory was first proposed by Nicolaus Copernicus. Copernicus was a Polish astronomer. He first published the heliocentric system in his book: De revolutionibus orbium coelestium, “On the revolutions of the heavenly bodies,” which appeared in 1543.
Copernicus died the same year his book was published. After 1,400 years, Copernicus was the first to propose a theory which differed from Ptolemy’s geocentric system, according to which the earth is at rest in the center with the rest of the planets revolving around it. The claim that all planets revolve around the sun had been raised in ancient times, but Copernicus was the first to succeed in describing the movements of the planets using an astronomical theory which placed the sun at the center.
Who is Tycho Brahe ?
A Danish nobleman, Tycho Brahe (1546-1601), made important contributions by devising the most precise instruments available before the invention of the telescope for observing the heavens. .
The instruments of Brahe allowed him to determine more precisely than had been possible the detailed motions of the planets. In particular, Brahe compiled extensive data on the planet Mars, which would later prove crucial to Kepler in his formulation of the laws of planetary motion because it would be sufficiently precise to demonstrate that the orbit of Mars was not a circle but an ellipse.
Who is Johan Kepler ?
Johannes Kepler is now chiefly remembered for discovering the three laws of planetary motion that bear his name published in 1609 and 1619). These laws showed that Copernicus’s basic laws were true.
Moreover, he calculated the most exact astronomical tables hitherto known, whose continued accuracy did much to establish the truth of heliocentric astronomy (Rudolphine Tables, Ulm, 1627).
Who was Galileo ?
Born on February 15, 1564, in Pisa, Italy, Galileo Galilei was a mathematics professor who made pioneering observations of nature with long-lasting implications for the study of physics. He also constructed a telescope and supported the Copernican theory, which supports a sun-centered solar system. Galileo was accused twice of heresy by the church for his beliefs, and wrote books on his ideas. He died in Arcetri, Italy, on January 8, 1642.
What was the Starry Messenger ?
Galileo Galilei (1564-1642) published Sidereus Nuncius, or the 'Starry Messenger' in 1610. In it he provided a lively and accessible account of his telescopic work: his observations of the Moon and, particularly, his discovery and observations of four satellites around Jupiter. The lunar observations showed that the surface of the moon was not smooth and perfectly spherical, but was pitted with craters and had mountains.
The observations of the Jovian satellites showed that the Earth was not the only centre of rotation in the universe. Both these discoveries were blows to the Aristotelian world-view which was geocentric and maintained that everything above the Earth was perfect and incorruptible.
What happened when Galileo faced the Inquisition ?
Because his ideas went against church teaching and authority, the church was frightened. After being warned several times not to defend the ideas of Copernicus, he was placed on trial in 1633. Threatened with torture, he confessed that the ideas of Copernicus were false. He lived under house arrest until his death in 1642.
What is the scientific method ?
The scientific method is a body of techniques for investigating phenomena, acquiring new knowledge, or correcting and integrating previous knowledge.
What are the seven steps of the scientific method ?
- State the problem
- Research the problem
- State the hypothesis
- Test the hypothesis
- Analyze the results
- State the conclusion
- Repeat
Who was Francis Bacon ?
Francis Bacon was born on January 22, 1561 in London, England. Bacon served as attorney general and Lord Chancellor of England, resigning amid charges of corruption.
His more valuable work was philosophical. Bacon took up Aristotelian ideas, arguing for an empirical, inductive approach, known as the scientific method, which is the foundation of modern scientific inquiry.
He wanted to science to move past Aristotle.
Famous for empiricism
Who was Rene Descartes ?
René Descartes was born on March 31, 1596, in La Haye, France. He was extensively educated, first at a Jesuit college at age 8, then earning a law degree at 22, but an influential teacher set him on a course to apply mathematics and logic to understanding the natural world. This approach incorporated the contemplation of the nature of existence and of knowledge itself, hence his most famous observation, “I think; therefore I am.”
Also : “Everything should be doubted until proved by reason”
Who was Isaac Newton ?
Born on January 4, 1643, in Woolsthorpe, England, Isaac Newton was an established physicist and mathematician, and is credited as one of the great minds of the 17th century Scientific Revolution. With discoveries in optics, motion and mathematics, Newton developed the principles of modern physics. In 1687, he published his most acclaimed work, Philosophiae Naturalis Principia Mathematica (Mathematical Principles of Natural Philosophy), which has been called the single most influential book on physics. Newton died in London on March 31, 1727.
He explained the law of gravity: Universal Motion and Universal Gravitationon
Also helped to develop Calculus.
Who was Robert Boyle ?
Robert Boyle, FRS, (25 January 1627 – 31 December 1691) was an Anglo-Irish[2] natural philosopher, chemist, physicist and inventor born in Lismore, County Waterford, Ireland. Boyle is largely regarded today as the first modern chemist, and therefore one of the founders of modern chemistry, and one of the pioneers of modern experimental scientific method. He is best known for Boyle’s law,[3] which describes the inversely proportional relationship between the absolute pressure and volume of a gas, if the temperature is kept constant within a closed system.[4][5] Among his works, The Sceptical Chymist is seen as a cornerstone book in the field of chemistry. He was a devout and pious Anglican and is noted for his writings in theology.[6]
Major finidngs
Boyles Law: inversely proportional relatioship betwen pressure and volume.
Difference between elements and compounds
modern chemistry
