Scientific Revolution
Mark K. 3rd
What was the Change?
The "change" was really a series of discoveries, inventions, or innovations that changed the way the general population viewed the world and a belief that humans could do anything. Major changes include the creation of the theory of gravity, the proving of the heliocentric theory, the invention of the telescope and calculus, and the perfection of scientific method. All these brought humanity forward. The picture to the right is of Nicholas Copernicus' heliocentric model.
Who were the people associated with the change?
Galileo
Italian math teacher, astronomer, inventor, and philosopher. created improved telescope, and observed sunspots, craters on the moon, and Jupiter through his improved telescope. This one of the lenses that Galileo used in his experiments.
Sir Isaac Newton
Created law of universal gravitation,which stated that all objects in the universe act on one another. Created calculus to explain his theories about physics and astronomy. The picture is of Newton's ball experiment, which demonstrated inertia, gravity, and the transmission of kinetic energy through solid objects.
Nicholas Copernicus
Polish astronomer who created the heliocentric theory (Earth and planets move around sun). This was the first new model for the solar system in 2000 years, yet he died before the theory was accepted, for the Catholic church threatened him greatly. Johannes Kepler, another astronomer with similar ideas, proved him correct.
How did the change impact society at the time?
At the time, no one believed any of the theories, and those who did couldn't openly support the men behind them, for the Catholic church used the Inquisition to torture and murder anyone who spoke out against the church. Eventually, the changes where accepted among the scientific community, so research into astronomy and physics could advance.
How is that change evidenced in today's society?
Even thought these discoveries and inventions where centuries ago, without them, fields such as astronomy, physics, and mathematics would be underdeveloped, and modern life would not be possible. Calculus was applied to architecture later, and even to building spacecraft. Modern telescopes such as the Hubble would not exist. And to apply basic physics, gravity must be present in every equation. These may be small achievements in retrospect, but they all lead to a series of new discoveries and scientific advancement.