 Important vocabulary: Nicolaus Copernicus, Tycho Brahe, Johannes Kepler, Galileo Galilei, Sir Isaac Newton, barometer

 For centuries, European scholars believed in rational thought and the teachings of Ptolemy, Aristotle, and other Greek philosophers.  With the discovery of North America by Christopher Columbus, Europeans began to doubt the teachings of ancient philosophers.  They began to make observations that did not match with what they had believed was the truth based on Greek authorities.  One discovery led to another.

 The beginning of the Scientific Revolution came in 1543 when Nicolaus Copernicus’ published On the Revolution of the Celestial Spheres.  Claimed that the sun was the center of the universe and the planets orbited the sun in circular patterns.  This is known as the heliocentric theory.

 Country of origin: Poland  Contribution/Invention: Heliocentric theory/Copernican system  Impact on history: Ptolemy was proven wrong, reducing credibility of Greek thinkers. Opened the door for further scientific investigation.

 Tycho Brahe was a Danish astronomer who spent most of his life observing the stars. He charted the positions of 750+ stars in the late 1500s.  Brahe emphasized the importance of recording his observations--a major part of the scientific process in modern science.  Johannes Kepler was Brahe’s assistant who tried to map the orbits of planets, but discovered Mars did not move in a circular pattern. o By observing the planets, he discovered that they moved in elliptical—or oval—patterns, not circular patterns.

 Tycho Brahe o Country of origin: Denmark o Contribution/Invention: Detailed records of scientific observations. o Impact on history: Recording scientific observations became a major part of the scientific process.  Johannes Kepler o Country of origin: Germany o Contribution/Invention: Proved Copernicus’ sun-centered theory correct; Found that planets move in elliptical patterns and move faster when closest to the sun. o Impact on history: Gave credibility to Copernicus; mapped the orbits of the sun for later scientists to observe.

 The first person to study the sky with a telescope.  Discovered craters and mountains on the moon and found that moons orbit Jupiter.  Studied mechanics—the study of objects and motion. This was his most important contribution to the Scientific Revolution. o Set up experiments to test what he observed  Remembered as the father of modern science for his use of experiments to prove his observations.

 Country of origin: Italy  Contribution/Discovery: First to observe skies with telescope; First to routinely use experiments to prove observations.  Impact on history: Experiments became a necessary part of the scientific process.

 Published Principia Mathematica in 1687, which identified four theories that described how the physical world worked.  Studied and simplified the work of earlier scientists.  Tested theories that are now known as laws because they have been proven correct multiple times: o Laws of gravity o Laws of motion  Newton stated that within the universe, all objects followed the laws that he identified. He correctly explained how the physical world worked.  Invented calculus, which allows scientists to solve complex problems.

 Country of origin: England  Contribution/Discovery: Laws of motion, law of gravity, invention of calculus, proof that light was made up of all colors of the rainbow.  Impact on history: Laws of gravity and motion became basis for almost all scientific study until the 1900s.