Bell Ringer: What do you think of when you hear the word “revolution?” What do you think a “scientific revolution” is?

The Scientific Revolution 16th – 18th Century A period when new ideas in physics, astronomy, biology, human anatomy, chemistry, and other sciences led to the rejection of ancient doctrines and laid the foundations of modern science.

Astronomy – Nicolaus Copernicus (1473-1543)

Aristotle and Ptolemy’s Theory The Greek Philosopher Aristotle and Greek Astronomer Ptolemy believed in a finite, spherical universe where the Earth was located at its center and the Moon and the Sun were nearest and orbited the Earth. This theory justified the Earth being stationary because they believed that the stars were static and did not move Known as the Ptolemaic or Geocentric Theory

Copernicus’s Theory A Polish Astronomer, Copernicus developed the heliocentric (sun centered) theory for the solar system Argued that Earth and the other planets revolved around the sun Based his claim on mathematical calculations of the orbits of the other planets Published his findings in a book entitled On the Revolutions of the Heavenly Spheres Even though his theory was eventually proven correct, his initial observations and calculations were flawed, meaning the theory wasn’t accepted right away

Reaction to Copernicus’s Theory Fearful of repercussions from the Church, Copernicus did not publish his book until right before his death At this point in time, to challenge this view of the universe was not just a scientific issue, but a religious one as well The Church continued to accept the Ptolemaic Theory and rejected Copernicus’s Heliocentric Theory based on his flawed observations and observations, as well as their misinterpretation of a few Bible verses that they believed taught the Earth was the center of the universe

Astronomy – Galileo Galilei (1564-1642) An Italian physicist, mathematician, astronomer, and philosopher who played a major role in the Scientific Revolution His achievements include improvements to the telescope and astronomical observations and support for Copernicus’s Heliocentric Theory

Galileo and the Heliocentric Theory In 1610, Galileo published an account of his telescopic observations of the moons of Jupiter, using this observation to argue in favor of the sun-centered Heliocentric Theory of the universe against the dominant earth-centered Ptolemaic Theory

Galileo and the Catholic Church In 1616, Cardinal Roberto Bellarmino personally handed Galileo a order to stop supporting and teaching the Heliocentric Theory In 1632, Galileo was ordered to appear before the Holy Office in Rome, where, following a trial, he was found guilty of heresy He was forced to take back his support of Copernicus and his theory in order to save his life He was placed under house arrest in 1634 for the rest of his life and his movements restricted by the Pope.

Astronomy – Johannes Kepler (1571-1630) German Astronomer who also continued the work of Copernicus on Planetary Motion and the Heliocentric Theory Also improved the telescope and helped to legitimize the discoveries of his peer Galileo Developed the Laws of Planetary Motion, describing the motion of planets around the sun Also conducted fundamental work in the field of optics (eyes)

Physics – Isaac Newton (1642-1726) English Physicist who proposed that there was a force (gravity) in this universe that attracted all objects to one another He argued that gravity made things fall to the earth and it also made the planets revolve around the sun Wrote Principles of Mathematics, where he laid down the three laws of motion

Medicine/Anatomy – William Harvey (1578-1657) English physician who was the first to correctly describe the circulatory system in humans and animals Published a study that showed how the heart acts as a pump that helps to circulate blood throughout the body

Harvey’s Theory on Circulation Argued for the idea that blood was pumped around the body by the heart before returning to the heart and being re-circulated in a closed system made up of arteries, veins, and capillaries This clashed with the previously accepted model that stated that blood is created in the liver from digested food and makes its way through the body via various pores

The Scientific Method A technique used in investigating phenomena, acquiring new knowledge, or correcting and integrating previous knowledge. In other words, it is a organized way of figuring something out.

The Scientific Method – Sir Francis Bacon (1561-1626) English Scientist His works established and popularized an inductive methodology for scientific inquiry, often called the Baconian Method, or simply, the Scientific Method

The Importance of the Scientific Revolution The word “revolution” refers to a period of turmoil and social upheaval where ideas about the world change severely and a completely new era of academic thought is brought in… The Renaissance enabled scholars to look at the world in a different light Religion, superstition, and fear were replaced by reason, knowledge, and the observation of nature Led to questioning all manners of things – this led to the Scientific Revolution During the Scientific Revolution, medieval scientific philosophies were abandoned in favor of the new ones proposed by men such as Copernicus, Galileo, Kepler, Newton, Harvey, and Bacon

Importance of Scientific Revolution (Cont’d) It created greater sense of need for instruments such as telescopes and microscopes It emphasized the Scientific Method as a organized way of figuring things out It promoted the expansion of knowledge by not accepting things on face value or faith Technology improved Improved ways to develop roads and ship designs helped to improve transportation and trade Improved design of farm tools helped to improved crop production

Exit Ticket What were some new scientific theories and discoveries? What were some of the effects of these new theories?