1 Mr. Shaffer Johnson High School A “Brief” History of Physics

2 I. In the beginning… 2 Physics began when the first thinking creature wondered, “why?” Why did the rain fall at certain times? Why was there a perpetual cycle of light (day) and dark (night)?

3 I. In the beginning… 3 Why could one type of pain be remedied by eating while many others could not be remedied at all? Why did females give birth and why did living things die? Why did things move as they did? Why, why, why?

4 II. The Greeks 4 The first people to deal with these questions on a rational basis (i.e., without reference to gods or magic) were the Greeks.

5 II. The Greeks 5 The Greeks held the process of reasoning in high esteem. Experimentation was generally considered unnecessary.

6 Aristotle 6

Aristotle ( B.C.E.) devised the first comprehensive explanation for motion. Introduced a Geocentric universe Described “Natural Motion” as how things moved

8 Ptolemy 8

The Greeks were also fascinated by the heavens, and Aristotle deduced that the planets, the moon, and the sun traveled in perfect circles around the earth. Ptolemy (TAH leh mee) worked out an awkward mathematical explanation of the geocentric solar system (Ptolemaic epicycles) in the 2nd century C.E.

10 III. The Copernican Revolution 10

11 Nicolaus Copernicus 11

The heavens continued to fascinate those who asked “why?” and in 1543, a Polish man by the name of Nicolaus Copernicus ( ) suggested that the sun was at the center of the solar system, and the earth and other planets orbited around it. By then, however, the Greek view of nature had persisted so long, it had become part of Church doctrine.

Copernicus was aware of the controversy his theory would bring; he did not publish his work until he was near death. A supporter of Copernicus’ heliocentric (sun-centered) model was burned at the stake for espousing this “heretical” view.

14 Tycho Brahe & Johannes Kepler 14

Tycho Brahe created the precise instruments to measure the movement of the stars… but it was his understudy, Johannes Kepler who made sense of the date. It was learned that the planets move in slight elliptical orbits. Have more solid evidence of a heliocentric universe.

16 IV. Giordano Bruno 16 Went around Europe teaching the Copernican heliocentric universe… burned at the stake by the church

17 Galileo Galilei 17

The Italian scientist Galileo Galilei ( ) is credited with asserting the importance of experimentation in the study of nature.

Promoted a heliocentric universe despite the church’s approval Found all object fall at the same rate Discovered the telescope - Jupiter has moons - Mars has phases (this evidence solidified the heliocentric theory) Died while on House Arrest

20 Isaac Newton 20

Isaac Newton ( ) was born the same year that Galileo died and is considered by many to be the greatest physicist ever. Newton reaffirmed Galileo’s findings about motion. He went on to explain the relation of force to the resulting motion and how objects interact. He more or less explained the universe in a book!

Isaac Newton ( ) Explained Gravity (remember the apple story) Explained Forces and theorized how an object could stay in orbit Built a better, more powerful telescope Invented Calculus (math genius) Did a lot work with Light/optics Obsessed with religion and spent a lot of time trying to figure out the end of the world… 2062!

23 Albert Einstein 23

German-born American physicist Albert Einstein’s ( ) After being denied a teaching job in science, he took a job at the Swiss patent office. This curiosity and fascination in light helped guide him to huge discoveries in time travel, what gravity actually is, matter and energy and solar powered electronics.

Explained that gravity is the result of objects with mass bending the fabric of space-time (general relativity) Mass and Energy and directly related to each other  E = mc 2 Time is not constant through the universe (special relativity) Light is made of photons (tiny packets of energy) Discovered power via use of light!