1. The Scientific Revolution `

2. Background to the Scientific Revolution Medieval scientists, “natural philosophers”, relied on ancient scientists, especially Aristotle. In the Renaissance, the works of Ptolemy became well known. Technical problems, like calculating the weight a ship could hold, led to a movement toward observation and measurement. Technology – Telescope and microscope – Printing press Mathematics – the key to scientific study.

3. Revolution in Astronomy Ptolemy – ancient Greek astronomer – Geocentric – Earth at the center of the universe. – Ptolemaic System – Medieval philosophers believed Ptolemy’s theory that the earth was surrounded by circular spheres in which the heavens moved. – The movement of these spheres is what makes the motion of the sun, moon, and stars. – The heavenly bodies were pure orbs of light. – The tenth sphere was the “prime mover” and outside that was Heaven, the abode of God. Claudius Ptolemaeus

4. Revolution in Astronomy Nicholas Copernicus – Polish astronomer – Heliocentric – sun at the center. – Copernicus said the earth revolved around the sun, the moon around the earth, and the earth rotated around its axis. Johannes Kepler – German mathematician – His observations proved the earth and planets orbit around the sun in elliptical (oval) orbits. Copernicus Kepler

5. Revolution in Astronomy Galileo Galilei – Italian astronomer Observed the sky with a telescope. Saw mountains on the moon and the moons of Jupiter. Proved the planets were material and not just light. Galileo got in trouble with the church, which held to the Ptolemaic System. He was ordered to abandon his findings.

6. Revolution in Astronomy Sir Isaac Newton – English mathematician – Three Laws of Motion - inertia A body at rest stays at rest until acted upon by a force. A body in motion stays in motion until acted upon by a force. – The Law of Gravity All matter has mass and is attracted to other matter. – Newton described a “clockwork universe” with everything operating like a machine.

7. Medicine and Chemistry Galen – Ancient Greek physician. – Galen’s assumptions were wrong because he used animals to study anatomy. – Until the 1500s, his writings dominated European medicine.

8. Medicine and Chemistry Andreas Vesalius – On the Fabric of the Human Body (1543) – “The father of anatomy” studied anatomy by dissecting human bodies at the University of Padua in Poland. – He thought there was two kinds of blood. William Harvey – On the Motion of the Heart and Blood (1628) – Proved the heart, not the liver as Vesalius had believed, was the beginning point of the blood’s circulation. – Showed that the same blood flows through the arteries and veins. Vesalius Harvey

9. Medicine and Chemistry Anton van Leeuwenhoek – “The father of microbiology” studied water under a microscope. – He discovered microorganisms. Robert Boyle – Boyle’s Law – The volume of a gas varies with the pressure exerted on it. Antoine Lavoiser – Invented a system for naming the chemical elements. Van Leeuwenhoek Boyle Lavoiser

10. Descartes and Rationalism Rene Descartes – Said he could be sure of one thing, his own existence. “I think, therefore I am.” – Only accepted those things his reason said was true. – The material and mental worlds are different realms. – There is a separation of mind and matter. – “The Father of Modern Rationalism” – believed reason was the source of all knowledge. – the Cartesian coordinate system (x, y) allowing geometric shapes to be expressed in algebraic equations being named for him.

11. The Scientific Method Francis Bacon – Created the scientific method. – Believed science would help conquer nature.

12. Conclusion The Scientific Revolution changed the way people looked at the world. Observation, experiment, and reason became the keys to trying to understand the world and solve problems.