Scientific Revolution
Commonly viewed as
a foundation and
origin of modern
science.
An Overview
Theories
Scientific
Revolution
QuickTime™ and a
decompressor
Scientists
Roots
are needed to see this picture.
Inventions
ROOTS
Greek Rationalists
• The Greeks used reason and logic to
figure out scientific explanations.
• Hippocrates – famous physician;
known as the father of medicine
• Aristotle – philosopher who
developed logic
• Plato – Aristotle’s teacher
• Pythagoras – famous mathematician;
known for the Pythagorean Theorem
Scholars of Three Faiths
• Muslim Scholars
– Introduced Arabic numerals to Europe –
the beginning of modern math.
– Muslim scholars preserved the Greek
books on science.
• Jewish and Christian Scholars agreed:
• Aristotle’s logic and reasoning was the
way to go.
• There is no conflict between reason
and faith.
Renaissance Humanism
• Humanists
– Revived Greek reason and logic to explore new ideas in
every field.
– Questioned old ideas such as superstition
– Stressed the importance of speaking and writing well
– Believed science is the way to understand the universe
• Alchemy
– Experiments to try to turn other metals into gold
– Learned more about how nature worked
The Age of Exploration
• New knowledge from global exploration
– Christopher Columbus had a theory: If I
sail west, I should land in Asia. In 1492,
he conducted an experiment to test his
theory. He was dead wrong:
– There were two continents (North and
South America) that Europeans did not know
about.
– This made scientists throw “accepted ideas”
out the window. From then on, scientists
questioned EVERYTHING.
THEORIES
New Scientific Theories
Newton
(1642-1727 England)
The universe operates by regular laws!
Kepler
(1571-1630 Germany)
My math proves planets move in elliptical orbits!
Galileo
(1564-1642 Italy)
Use my telescope to see that Copernicus was right!
Brahe
(1546-1601 Sweden)
Carefully and accurately record what you observe!
Copernicus
(1473-1543 Poland)
Sorry! The sun is the center of the universe!
Ptolemy
(ancient Greece)
The earth is the center of the universe!
New way of thinking ...
Heliocentric –
everything revolves
around the sun
Old way of thinking...
Geocentric – everything
revolves around the
Earth
SCIENTISTS
Francis Bacon
• Concept of
experimental
thinking
• He popularized the
new scientific
method of
observation and
experimentation.
• From England
Nicholas Copernicus
• Founder of
modern
astronomy
• Polish astronomer
• Concluded that the
sun is the center of
our solar system
• The earth is merely
one of several
planets revolving
around the sun.
Nicholas Copernicus believed the sun was center
of the universe
HELIOCENTRIC = Copernicus’ belief that the
sun is the center of the universe.
Johannes Kepler
• German astronomer
• Determined that the
planets follow an
elliptical, not a circular,
orbit in revolving around
the sun.
• Helped explain the
paths followed by
human-made satellites
today.
#4 – Galileo Galilei
• Came up with
law of inertia
• Invented the
first effective
telescope
• Challenged
Church
authority
Galileo Galilei
• Italian astronomer
and physicist
• Demonstrated the
law of falling
bodies and greatly
improved the
telescope
• Confirmed the
Copernican theory
Galileo’s map of the stars…not the Hollywood
types!
TELESCOPES
Galileo believed that all
should study the stars
and the planets.
Telescopes certainly
helped.
Galileo defending his work.
#6 Isaac Newton
• English mathematician,
astronomer, and
physicist
• Invented calculus
• Discovered laws of
light and color
• Formulated the laws of
motion
• Calculated the law of
gravitation
#5 – Issac Newton
• Made great
strides in study
of gravity, heat
and light.
Newton believed in the theory of Gravity…now we
know it is true.
Rene Descartes
• French Scientist,
mathematician, and
philosopher
• Discovered laws of
optics and is
considered the
founder of analytic
geometry.
• “I think, therefore,
I am.”
Vesalius
• Flemish Physician
• Undertook
dissections of the
human body
• Founded the
science of anatomy
#3 – Andreas Vesalius
• First to study
human anatomy
in 1500 years.
Examples of tools used by Vesalius for dissection/inspection
of bodies
Dissection would
answer many
questions the people
had…but it was not
approved of by the
Catholic Church!
William Harvey
• English Physician,
demonstrated that
blood circulates
through the body
• His research furthered
the study of medicine
#1 William Harvey
• First to
correctly prove
that the heart
pumps blood.
William Harvey…
blood circulates through the heart and body
Where does blood come from?
No…food doesn’t
turn into blood
Yes…Harvey proved
blood circulated
through the body
inside veins and
arteries
Antonie van Leeuwenhoek
• Dutch naturalist
• Perfected the microscope
How did these scientists
change Church beliefs of the
time?
• Harvey – changed belief on function of
heart
• Copernicus – came up with heliocentric
theory (earth revolves around sun)
• Vesalius – changed belief on how human
anatomy (body) functions
• Galileo – used telescope to map stars
• Newton/Galileo – gravity forces objects
to fall at the same speed
Quiz
Time
INVENTIONS
Telescope
• Who invented it
– The Dutch, 1608. Galileo built
his in 1609. Magnified 30 times
• What it does
– Magnifies things at a distance.
– Improves human observation in astronomy.
• Why it was significant
– Galileo observed: Moons revolved around
Jupiter. So everything does not revolve
around the Earth.
Microscope
• Who invented it
– Robert Hooke, 1667
• What it does
– Magnifies small objects.
– Improves observation in biology and
medicine.
• Why it was significant
– Discovered plant cells
Thermometer
• Who invented it
– Fahrenheit
– Celsius
• What it does
– Measures temperature.
• Why it was significant
– Boiling point (212°F); freezing point (32°F)
– Boiling point (100°C); freezing point (0°C)
Barometer
• Who invented it
– Torricelli, 1645
• What it does
– Measure atmospheric pressure.
• Why it was significant
– It allows you to forecast the weather.
– When the barometer falls dramatically,
you are in for bad weather.
Calculus
• Who invented it
– Sir Isaac Newton of England and Gottfried Wilhelm
Leibniz of Germany
• What it does
– It provides a systematic way for the exact
calculation of many areas, volumes, and other
quantities.
• Why it was significant
– It’s the source of today’s modern world.
– Without it, we wouldn’t have cars, cell phones,
computers, motorcycles, etc.
The Scientific Method:
• The five scientists all had to
write down their observations and
follow strict rules for conducting
their experiments. These rules
are known as The Scientific
Method.
• What are the three main steps?
1) Form a
hypothesis
2) Test
your
hypothesis
3) Make
conclusions
based on the
experiment
Which of the steps do you
consider to be the most
important and why?
What was the Impact of Scientific Revolution on:
• Philosophy: Enlightenment and ideas on
government
• World: application of science to solve
problems in society
• Religion: mistaken conflict between faith
and science
Government
Rationalism and Democracy
Going against Church
beliefs examples
– #1 = Church taught: Heavy objects would
fall faster then lighter ones.
Newton proved: Objects can fall at same
speed.
– #2 = Church taught: Earth was center of
universe. Galileo/Copernicus proved: It’s not,
(using a telescope.)
– #3 = Church taught: Dissecting human bodies was
immoral and a sin.
Vesalius proved: Human anatomy is
important (to understand diseases)
•
Society
Effects of the Scientific
Revolution
People felt that human
understanding of the
universe could be reduced to mathematical laws
• The universe no longer appeared to be a mysterypeople felt that it was orderly, rational and most
importantly, could be understood by humans
• People felt that humans were able to control their
own destiny
• The concept of natural laws developed
• Laws similar like those found in science by
Newton, could govern other aspects of life
(ex: economics, politics, ethics)
Science
Effects of the SR continued…
• Science gained a wider appeal and
unprecedented popularity
• Science became a profession
• Increased knowledge
• Greater toleration (scientific and religious)
• Less superstition
• More scientific answers
• Freedom to deviate from established
theories which increased new developments
Scientific Views and
Democratic Ideas
• Why could it be easier for a scientist to
come up with a new idea today in America?
– Americans allow freedom of speech AND
religion
– Many opportunities for new exploration
– Most Americans are more understanding
and open minded
– Not as much influence from the Church
Is there new science today that
would be hard to experiment if
not for American Democracy?
• Sure!
• Example: Genetically Altered Food –
– “The team of scientists from Harvard,
the University of Missouri and the
University of Pittsburgh used a gene
from an earthworm, which naturally
produces omega-3 fatty acids, to
genetically make their pigs less harmful
for humans to eat.”
– Source: LA Times, 3/27/06