Transcript The Scientific Revolution

Copy and answer – The Universe
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1. What is the “Big Bang”?
2. Why is the term the “Big Bang”
considered a contradiction (not accurate)?
3. Approximately how old is our solar
system?
4. How many planets could the ancient
Greeks see with the naked eye?
5. Where did earth sit in Aristotle’s vision
of the universe?
6. How did Ptolemy improve on Aristotle’s
theory of the solar system?
7. What two things did Nicolaus
Copernicus change about our view of the
solar system?
 8. What is the name of the man who came
after Copernicus and what did he do to
improve our view of the solar system?
 9. What tool did Galileo use to observe the
universe? How many times did his version
magnify?
 10. How did the Catholic Church respond
to Galileo’s theories?
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11. What experiment was the main part
of Galileo’s last written work?
 12. What theory did Newton add to
Galileo and Kepler?
 13. What two things did Newton use to
understand the universe?
 14. Why did Einstein not like the idea of
a beginning to the universe?
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People, theories, and inventions
The Scientific Revolution
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Revolution is defined as a “major
transformation”. Influenced by the
Humanist movement, Renaissance
scholars began this transformation by
questioning classical scientific ideas and
Christian beliefs. This led to an explosion
of new ideas and a further examination of
what was known to be true. This era of
questioning and the development of new
ideas came to be known as the Scientific
Revolution.
New Scientific Theories
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The Heliocentric
Universe:
In the early 1500’s a
Polish astronomer
and church deacon
named Nicolaus
Copernicus
challenged the
geocentric theory of
Aristotle and Ptolemy.
He believed that the
earth, stars and other
planets revolved
around the sun.
Kepler adds to the mix
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Almost 100 years later
a German astronomer
named Johannes
Kepler used
mathematical laws to
prove the planets did
revolve around the
sun. He also
determined that they
revolved in elliptical
orbits (ovals), not
perfect circles as
Copernicus believed.
Galileo challenges beliefs
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An Italian scientist
named Galileo Galilei
used a telescope to
confirm the beliefs of
Copernicus. This got
him in trouble with the
church because a
heliocentric universe
went against church
beliefs of a geocentric
world. They forced
him to publicly deny
his findings – but he
still believed them in
private.
Newton’s Universal Law
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In the late 1600’s
English scientist Sir
Isaac Newton combined
the ideas of Copernicus,
Kepler, and Galileo into
one theory. According
to Newton all physical
objects including
planets, people, even
apples were affected by
the same force – gravity.
This idea became
known as Newton’s law
of universal gravitation
Rene Descartes
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A Frenchman,
Descartes believed in
questioning the opinions
of recognized
authorities. He also
believed every idea
should be doubted until
it had been proved
through reason. Known
for his famous “I think
therefore I am”
reasoning, he believed
God created 2 realities –
the physical and mental.
Francis Bacon
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An Englishman,
Bacon believed in
using rational
organized thought too,
but also felt that
scientist should use
experiments and
observations to
understand the world.
This approach is
called the scientific
method.
The Scientific Method
1. Identify the question to be
researched (state a problem or
question)
 2. Forming a hypothesis – an unproved
assumption or guess about the subject
 3. Testing the hypothesis in an
experiment
 4. Make careful observations and
collect data
 5. Analyze data, interpret results to
draw a conclusion.
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Impact of Scientific Rationalism
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The ideas of Descartes and Bacon became
known as scientific rationalism. Scientific
rationalism encouraged people to think for
themselves instead of relying on church
authority. By the 1700’s its influence was
weakening the power of the Church. Also
some political thinkers started applying
scientific rationalism to government. The
ideas of people like John Locke planted the
seeds of democratic beliefs that soon
blossomed in nations like the U.S.
Inventions
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Along with thoughts and
people, inventions
played a major part in
transforming the way
humans look at the
world. The Microscope,
Thermometer,
Barometer, and
Telescope allowed
scientists to see things
invisible to the naked
eye, measure
temperature during
experiments and predict
the weather.
Importance
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The Scientific
Revolution established
a rational method of
looking at scientific
questions that still
exist today.
Why it matters
Scientists developed new
theories about the universe
 The invention of new
scientific instruments
helped to prove new
theories and to change
some old beliefs
 The scientific rationalism of
Descartes and Bacon had
a major impact on religion
and politics
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Summary of information