1. The Scientific Revolution
“No great discovery was ever made without a bold guess”
--Isaac Newton

2. The Middle Ages People believed: -The earth was flat
-The earth was the
center of the universe
(God created the
universe to serve
people, therefore it was
the center)
This idea was called the Geocentric Theory

3. Old Views New Views
Scholars relied on traditional authorities for beliefs about structure of universe
Geocentric theory, Aristotle
Earth center of universe
Sun, moon, planets revolved around sun
Ideas upheld by church, accepted authority for European intellectuals
Scholars began to challenge traditional authorities, 1500s
Scientific Revolution, new way of thinking
Posed theories, developed procedures to test ideas
Why open to new ideas?
Exploration
New lands, new people, new animals

4. Main Ideas and Details A new understanding of the world
Logical thought
Scientific Method

6. Nicolaus Copernicus
In the late 1400s, Copernicus began to challenge this old way of thinking
He believed the earth was round and rotated on its axis as it revolved around the sun
He believed the sun, not the earth, was the center of the universe
This was called the Heliocentric Theory

7. Johannes Kepler German astronomer in the early 1600s
Defended and expanded ideas of Copernicus
He used mathematical formulas to prove that the planets revolve around the sun (laws of planetary motion)
Kepler also proved the planets move in oval ellipses, and move faster as they approach the sun

8. Galileo Galilei
In 1609, mathematician Galileo expanded the ideas of Copernicus by
proving that planets revolve around the sun, not the earth
He also made improvements on the telescope, observed sun spots, improved compass design and discovered the 4 largest satellites of Jupiter, now called the Galilean Moons

9. Galileo Continued…
In 1632, after publishing his ideas, Galileo was forced to stand trial for speaking against church ideas
He was forced to recant his views and lived out his life under house arrest

10. Francis Bacon Late 1500s/Early 1600s
Scientists should observe the world and gather information
Conduct experiements
Develop theories and test them
Helped develop (along with Descartes) Scientific Method— scientists observe, hypothesize, and experiment to prove scientific law

11. Rene Descartes Everything needs to be proven by reason
Natural world operates like a machine due to basic physical laws
“I think, therefore I am”

12. Scientific Method Identify the problem Research Hypothesis
Test hypothesis
Analyze and record data
Draw conclusions

13. Isaac Newton Late 1600s/Early 1700s
Newton expanded the works of Copernicus, Kepler and Galileo
In his book Philosophiæ Naturalis Principia Mathematica (1687), Newton described the three laws of motion and gravity (basis for modern engineering)
Helped develop calculus and created “Newton’s Method” for approximating zeroes of a function
Invented the reflecting telescope, studied the speed of sound and law of cooling

14. Newton’s Three Laws of Motion
A body continues to maintain its state of rest or of uniform motion unless acted upon by an external unbalanced force
F = ma: the net force on an object is equal to the mass of the object multiplied by its acceleration
To every action there is an equal and opposite reaction

15. Science and Society
As science assumed greater significance, the question of the role of the Roman Catholic Church in a changing culture became important.
While the church opposed the views of many scientists, it benefited from new discoveries that made Renaissance art and architecture possible.
The church feared reason as an enemy of faith, but eventually began to embrace some of the achievements of the Scientific Revolution.

16. Science and Community
Scientific Revolution established new way of thinking about physical world
Great advances made in astronomy, physics, biology, chemistry
Advances influenced developments in arts, architecture
Impact of Scientific Revolution soon would cause philosophers, scholars to wonder if reason could solve poverty, war, ignorance

18. Clousure What was the Scientific Revolution?
Explain the Church’s reaction to science.
How did the Scientific Revolution have an impact beyond the realm of science?