Nicolaus Copernicus
Sparking the Scientific Revolution
The Early Life of Copernicus...
Some Info on Warmia...
- Warmia, also known as Ermeland is part of Poland. It was a part of the territory of the Knights of Teutonic Order .
- In 1243, four episcopates (an episcopate is a collective body of all of the bishops of a church) were appropriated in Prussia, among the Warmia episcopate.*
- 1466-1772, Warmia was incorporated into The Polish Crown Territories
- In 1497, Copernicus was admitted to The Canonic Warmia Chapter
- In Copernicus's first years here, he lived in the Bishop's palace, which was in Heilsberg, as a personal secretary and doctor for the Bishop
- Copernicus participated in the political lifer with his uncle. He attended to the congresses of Royal Prussia's states, which were: Malbork, Elblag and Torun
The Achievements of Copernicus
Achievement One: A Theory Proposing A Heliocentric Solar System
Achievement Two: "De Revolutionibus Orbium Coelestium"
- The Earth is spherical
- Land and water both have a single center of gravity
- The planets orbit the sun in circular orbits (although this theory was incorrect, he was right about a lot of other things)
- Day and Night are caused by a rotation of the Earth
- The Earth has three motions:
2)The yearly motion of the center- moving west to east in order of the zodiacal signs
3) The revolution of the Earth around the sun
Copernicus didn't actually get to see the final published version of his book until he was laying on his deathbed. He died of a cerebral hemorrhage.
A Look at the First Edition "De Revolutionibus Orbium Coelestium"
The Solar System
Title Page
A Warning...
This is a Note Left by the Publisher..
recent work, studious reader, the motion of both the fixed stars and the planets restored
from ancient as well as recent observations, and outfitted with wonderful new and admirable
hypotheses. You also have most expeditious tables from which you can easily compute the
positions of the planets for any time. Therefore, buy, read, profit."
Preface
in this book ... I ascribe movement to the earthly globe, will cry out that,
holding such views, I should at once be hissed off the stage"
People Doodled Back Then, Too...
Achievement Three: Creating a System Combining Physics, Atsronomy and Mathematics
Achievement Four: Helping People Access Water
Achievement Five: Helping His Town With a Massive Task
"We ourselves are not sufficiently safeguarded to repel...an attack and we fear lest the enemy, who is already so near, should beseige us also... Therefore, we humbly appeal to your Holy Majesty to... come to our aid as soon as possible to support us. For we are completely devoted to Your Majesty, even if we are to perish"
However, his letter was intercepted by the knights- it never reached the king.
The Knights of Teutonic Order attacked and burned big chunks of the city. They also took big tracts of land from the chapter. A few months later, after peace was declared, Copernicus helped negotiate the return of the lands to the church and helped rebuild Frombork.
But How Did he Impact OUR World?
Something Else to Think About...
Another Impact...
The Start of the Scientific Revolution
Fun Facts
- Copernicus went to a whole lot of schools! He attended St. John's Church in Poland, which was a parochial (relating to church) school. Then, he attended the Krakow Academy, also known as The Jagiellonian University (picture on the right). Later on, he went to Italy. Here he studied law, medicine, astronomy and math! In 1496, he started to study law at Bologne. Then he studied medicine at Padua
- Copernicus wasn't just an astronomer- he was also a personal physician! At first, he was a doctor for his uncle, but after is uncle died in 1512, Copernicus went on to be a personal physician to four Warmian Bishops. He even went further than diagnosing and taking care of his patients- he personally prepared the drugs they were prescribed with
- On top of his jobs as an astronomer and physician, he was also a mathematician, engineer, soldier, writer and economist! He did a lot
Another Link...
"On The Revolutions of Heavenly Spheres"
Some Copernicus Quotes...
"For when a ship is floating calmly along, the sailors see its motion mirrored in everything outside, while on the other hand they suppose that they are stationary, together with everything on board. In the same way, the motion of the earth can unquestionably produce the impression that the entire universe is rotating."
"The strongest affection and utmost zeal should, I think, promote the studies concerned with the most beautiful objects. This is the discipline that deals with the universe's divine revolutions, the stars' motions, sizes, distances, risings and settings . . . for what is more beautiful than heaven?"
"Accordingly, since nothing prevents the earth from moving, I suggest that we should now consider also whether several motions suit it, so that it can be regarded as one of the planets. For, it is not the center of all the revolutions."
"For I am not so enamored of my own opinions that I disregard what others may think of them."
"For it is the duty of an astronomer to compose the history of the celestial motions through careful and expert study."
"I CAN easily conceive, most Holy Father, that as soon as some people learn that in this book which I have written concerning the revolutions of the heavenly bodies, I ascribe certain motions to the Earth, they will cry out at once that I and my theory should be rejected."
"Moreover, since the sun remains stationary, whatever appears as a motion of the sun is really due rather to the motion of the Earth."
"The massive bulk of the Earth does indeed shrink to insignificance in comparison with the size of the heavens."
"Therefore, when I considered this carefully, the contempt which I had to fear because of the novelty and apparent absurdity of my view nearly induced me to abandon utterly the work I had begun."
"Those things which I am saying now may be obscure, yet they will be made clearer in their proper place."
"To know that we know what we know, and to know that we do not know what we do not know, that is true knowledge."
"Perhaps there will be babblers who, although completely ignorant of mathematics, nevertheless take it upon themselves to pass judgment on mathematical questions and, badly distorting some passages of Scripture to their purpose, will dare find fault with my undertaking and censure it. I disregard them even to the extent as despising their criticism as unfounded."
Bibliography.....
Works Cited
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