Do Now: answer the two question on your handout!

The Scientific Revolution develops as an offshoot of the Renaissance. The same questioning spirit that fueled the Renaissance led scientists to question traditional beliefs and the Church about the workings of the universe. It was a new way of thinking about the natural world.

Before 1500, the Bible and

Aristotle were the only authorities accepted as truth A geocentric model of the universe, in which the Earth is at the center was supported during the Middle Ages

Printing press spread new ideas Age of Exploration fueled a great deal of scientific research because of technology needed for navigation

Translation of the works of Muslim scholars opened the minds of European thinkers to new scientific knowledge

New Ideas About the Universe

Three scientists challenged traditional theories about the universe and the Greco-Roman idea that the Earth was the center of the universe:

Copernicus (mid1500s) Galileo Galilei (early 1600s) Isaac Newton (late 1600s)

Up to the time of Copernicus, people thought that there was a sort of crystal sphere the kept the planets, moon, and stars in orbit around the Earth. It was Copernicus that proposed the idea that the Earth revolved around the sun, and not vice versa The sun was the center of the Universe, not the Earth. Most scholars rejected Copernicuss theory.

NONSENSE!!!

Video Clip on Copernicus

He built a telescope and became the first man to use this tool to study the moon and planets. What he saw made Galileo believe Copernicus's idea that the Earth was not the center of the universe. The Church punished him for his belief in this idea. He was questioned by the Inquisition and forced to confess that his ideas were wrong.

Why would the Church try to prevent this idea from becoming popular?

Galileo Video Clip

Galileo was an Italian mathematics teacher, astronomer and physicist, and one of the first true scientists. He used an experiment to test one of Aristotles theories.

Aristotles theory:

Galileos Experiment:

Heavier objects fall faster than lighter ones

Finds objects of different weights will fall at the same speed (in a vacuum).

This new method relied on experimentation and observation rather than past authorities. It is still used by scientists today.

When something falls, why does it fall down? Why doesnt it fall up or sideways?

For every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction Isaac Newton

OUCH !
I am enjoying this uneventful day

What does an apple have to do with gravity? Newton was sitting in the shade of an apple tree when an apple fell nearby. Newton began to wonder why apples always fall to the ground. Why dont the fall sideways or up? Newton reasoned that the earth must have a power that draws objects to it. This was the beginning of the law of gravity and motion.

By the mid-1600s, the accomplishments of Copernicus and Galileo had shattered the old views of astronomy and physics.

Isaac Newton brought it all together

under a single theory of motion.

Law of Universal Gravitation

I think, therefore I am.

Descartes believed everything should be doubted until proved by reason. Tradition should not be accepted as truth. Instead of using experimentation, Descartes relied on mathematics and logic. He linked algebra and geometry as a new tool for scientific research.

The Father of Modern Philosophy

Rene Descartes
Descartes shifts thinking from

"what is true" to
"of what can I be certain? Descartes shifted the authoritative power of truth from God to Man. (While traditional concept of "truth" implies an external authority, "certainty" instead relies on the judgment of the individual Man)

Edward Jenner introduced the first vaccine for smallpox. (inoculation- injecting a germ in the body to create an immunity). Telescope (1608, Dutch) A Dutch glass maker constructed a primitive telescope. Galileo heard about it and improved on the design. Microscope (1590s, Dutch) Barometer (early 1600s, Italian) - measure air pressure Thermometer (1611) for chemical and medical studies

the major thinkers of the Scientific Revolution (Copernicus, Galileo, Newton, Descartes) had revealed a universe which seemed like a perfectly run machine, comprehensible by the human mind and the enlightened scientific understanding it had now gained.

Lets test your knowledge!

a. The experiences of past civilizations b. Experimentation and observation c. Emotions and feelings

d. The teachings of the Catholic Church

a. Relied heavily on the ideas of medieval thinkers b. Favored an absolute monarchy as a way of improving economic conditions

c. Received support from the Catholic Church

d. Examined natural laws governing the universe

a. The acceptance of traditional authority was strengthened b. The scientific method was used to solve problems. c. The English government increased funding for education
d. Interest in Greek and Roman drama was renewed.