Free Essay

Scientific Revolution and Discoveries

In:

Submitted By hnadine
Words 967
Pages 4
Scientific Revolution's Discoveries
Hilda Gleason
Azusa Pacific Online University
August 22nd, 2014

The scientific revolution began in Europe towards the end of the Renaissance era and continued through the late eighteenth century. It was the rise of modern science during the early modern period, when developments in mathematics, physics, astronomy, biology and chemistry altered views of society and nature. It influenced the intellectual and social movement known as the Enlightenment. It customarily started with the Copernican Revolution (initiated in 1543) and to be complete in the "grand synthesis" of Isaac Newton's 1687 Principia. The change of attitude came from Bacon whose confident and insistent proclamation of a New Era in the advancement of science inspired the creation of the Royal Society. Galileo supported Copernicus and developed the science of motion. In the twentieth century, Alexandre Koyré introduced the term scientific revolution, centering his study on Galileo, and the term became widely popular in his Origins of Modern Science by Butterfield. The Scientific Revolution was known all over Europe as an international phenomenon; scholars from all over took part in it. The most-important leading figures were Nicolaus Copernicus (Father of Modern Astronomy), Tycho Braye, Johannes Kepler, Galileo Galilei, and Isaac Newton. Some of the important discoveries of this time period and their effects were; Copernicus discovered that earth and all the planets revolve around the sun. Before Copernicus discovery astronomers believed, the earth was the center of the universe, and the sun and planets revolved around it. Tycho Braye discovered new stars that are known as supernovae in 1573. He was well-known throughout his life as an alchemist and astronomer. Kepler contributed the three laws of planetary motion, which helped Isaac Newton later on. These laws were; The planets move around the sun, not in circles, but curve 2. Planets do not move consistently, but in such a way that a line drawn from a planet to the sun spans out an equal area of the curve of its orbit in equal time, even if the curve is not perfectly centered on the sun 3. The squares of the periods of the planets' orbits are equivalent to the cubes of their distances from the sun. Galilei telescopic observations led to the start of the great revolution in an attempt to understand the nature of the objects in the sky. He discovered moons of Jupiter and that Saturn has a system of rings. Also, he corrected some misconceptions about gravity and proved that a pendulum's period was a determinant of the length of the pendulum, not the length of the arc of the pendulum's swing leading to pendulum clocks. He also hypothesized and proved that an objects rate of fall when dropped is independent of its weight. It had previously been assumed that the heavier object falls faster than a lighter object by nature. Isaac Newton was central to the Revolution, and his work transformed the fields of motion and optics, on top of other subjects. He not only discovered gravitational force, but he also established the three Universal Laws of Motion. By tying Johannes Kepler's Laws of Planetary motion with these discoveries, he established classic mechanics the beginning of modern Physics. He proved the heliocentric model first proposed by Copernicus conclusively and was the first to propose a set of laws that described the motion of all things in the universe. It served as the basis for our understanding on how the universe functions and why it is the way it is, this was a breakthrough. His discovered the Binomial Theorem and was one of the two creators of calculus. Without all these advances in mathematics, scientists could not design vehicles to carry us and other machines into space, let alone plot the best and safest course. Calculus gave scientist the tools to set up a theoretical model of the situation and still account for changing factors. This basic knowledge would help scientist such as Einstein to make even greater discoveries such as "The Theory of Relativity" and Nuclear Fission. It impacted Christianity in that the Christian church was challenged with accurate explanations supported by logic. It spread within intellectual circles throughout Europe claiming that God had created the universe, but mankind was no longer its focus point. Not only did humans fall off this podium but this collapse meant that basic Christian beliefs were on the verge to lose their trust. Therefore, the scientific discoveries in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries weekend the official Christian beliefs in regards to the possibility of a better afterlife. Christian followers could question their faith since they had no assurance that God and saved souls were living in the universe or highest spheres.

References
Effects of the Scientific Revolution - Western Civilization II Video. (n.d.). Education Portal. Retrieved August 18, 2014, from http://education-portal.com/academy/lesson/effects-of-the-scientific-revolution.html#lesson
Galileo: The Telescope & The Laws of Dynamics. (n.d.). Galileo: The Telescope & The Laws of Dynamics. Retrieved August 16, 2014, from http://csep10.phys.utk.edu/astr161/lect/history/galileo.html
Kepler: Johannes Kepler. (n.d.). Kepler: Johannes Kepler. Retrieved August 17, 2014, from http://kepler.nasa.gov/Mission/JohannesKepler/
Major Figures of the Scientific Revolution. (n.d.). Education.com. Retrieved August 18, 2014, from http://www.education.com/study-help/article/european-history-scientific-revolution-scientists/
Scientific revolution. (2014, August 18). Wikipedia. Retrieved August 18, 2014, from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scientific_revolution
Tycho Brahe - Famous Astronomers on Sea and Sky. (n.d.). Tycho Brahe - Famous Astronomers on Sea and Sky. Retrieved August 18, 2014, from http://www.seasky.org/space-exploration/astronomers-tycho-brahe.html
What did Isaac Newton Discover?. (n.d.). Universe Today RSS. Retrieved August 17, 2014, from http://www.universetoday.com/38643/what-did-isaac-newton-discover/

Similar Documents

Premium Essay

Scientific Revolution Discoveries

...For our midterm assignment we one chart about the different ideologies, one chart about the Enlightenment thinkers and one chart about the Scientific Revolution Discoveries. We decided to do our final project on the Scientific Revolution discoveries because we had the most information on it and it was the most interesting topic to put on our poster. We wrote about different people from the Scientific Revolution, where they were from, what years they were alive and what their major accomplishments were. Even though making the project was stressful because it is worth 20% of our semester grade, I enjoyed making it and learning more about the people from the Scientific Revolution. Our strategy while making this project was to first find as much information about our topics as we could. Once we had gathered all of the information, then we organized it into the format that we had chosen. This worked very well and went according to plan because we had no troubles finding the information and putting it into the charts was very simple. Once we had put it into the cart format, it was easy to see that the Scientific Revolution discoveries portion had the most information and would be the best for the overall project. After we figured this out, we could then print pictures and prepare ourselves for the final project, so we were ready when the day we had to make it came....

Words: 560 - Pages: 3

Premium Essay

Scientific Revolution Research Paper

...The Scientific Revolution and the Birth of Astronomy Many people today question the purpose of religion and, rather than warship the bible and adhere to papal infallibility, focus on coming up with new ideas, scientific approaches, and solutions to answer the infinite amount of questions life has to offer. Challenging the ideas found in tradition and religious faith is not a new concept invented by recent generations. In circa 1550 AD, one of the most dramatic social transformations ever faced by human nature came and with it brought a new-founded age of Science. It altered the way society perceived life and led to many innovations. This social transformation is known as the Scientific Revolution, and in it spawned new generations of philosophers,...

Words: 748 - Pages: 3

Premium Essay

Scientific Revolution Research Paper

...Major Figures of the Scientific Revolution For hundreds of years the world had been living in the dark, with no advances in science or technology. The people were stuck in the past, blindly following the rules and teachings of the Church. Amidst the dark, came a light known as the Scientific Revolution which dared to challenge the old system of belief and thinking. From the Scientific Revolution emerged major figures whose discoveries and inventions radically impacted Europe and paved the path to the modernization of science and technology. To start, Nicolaus Copernicus’s theory of a heliocentric universe drastically changed the way that Europeans viewed the universe and set the path for future scientists. Furthermore, Galileo Galilei’s invention...

Words: 1846 - Pages: 8

Premium Essay

How Did Isaac Newton Impact Society

...structure on the planet. We gather in families, tribes, clans, nations. We have an incredibly sophisticated method of interacting -- speech. We can communicate over time and distance through printing and broadcasting” (Taflinger 3). Humanity has used these incredible social skills to communicate and work for each other in an ever developing world. Newton’s discovery of gravity and his three laws of motion however, are some of the most important things that run the world. Engineers use the force of gravity to accurately determine the size of structures that need to be built such as bridges, skyscrapers, and roller coasters. The engineers may have to use a distance given to them and their knowledge on how gravity works to construct a bridge that will maintain stability. Engineers must also know that “Gravity loads constant magnitudes and fixed positions that act permanently on the structure” (Structural Loads). These facts were not thought up by Newton himself, as he was not an engineer nor were there metallic bridges during the 18th century, but they were brought upon the world because of what Newton had done. Without the discovery of gravity the world would not be able to use terms such as “Net Force” or use bridges, for they both involve gravity. Other such examples are the space shuttles needing a specific amount of force to lift up of the earth and out of the atmosphere, or the speed at which cars should move on a freeway. Isaac’s laws of motion helped astronomers and scientists...

Words: 1196 - Pages: 5

Premium Essay

Scientific Revolution Research Paper

...The Rise Of The Scientific Revolution Sir Isaac Newton once said, “Plato is my friend, Aristotle is my friend, but my greatest friend is truth” (“Cambridge University Library - Newton Exhibition”). Truth really matters when it comes to the church telling lies and people believing their whole life. The Scientific Revolution started due to people questioning the church's ways. People did not agree with just believing the way the church said and have no reason to believe. It affected society by allowing more travel and new inventions to start a movement of creation known as the enlightenment. People started to realize the church used them for power and old them lies to get money and they stepped away lowing the power of the church sand starting...

Words: 1935 - Pages: 8

Premium Essay

Scientific Revolution Research Paper

...The prolific period of scientific discoveries encompassing the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries was later named "the Scientific Revolution". Historians have used that label because this expression implies that these scientific discoveries had a revolutionary effect on European societies, which were regulated by Christianity. However, different conclusions can be drawn in addressing the impacts of these scientific discoveries on the basic beliefs of Christianity in the Western world by 1800: in what ways was the place of humankind at the centre of the universe rejected? To what extent was God no longer the unique reference as regards ethics? How could Christian followers still believe in an afterlife paradise? Scientific discoveries in the...

Words: 1472 - Pages: 6

Premium Essay

Uuihhk Hjkjh

...Siege of Vienna Glorious Revolution Peter I St. Petersburg Ninety-Five Theses missionary Society of Jesus Treaty of Westphalia Charles V Spanish Inquisition Louis XIV Versailles Catherine II balance of power Adam Smith VOC Ptolemaic universe Newton John Locke capitalism joint-stock companies putting-out system Copernican universe deism Discussion Questions Examine the centralizing efforts in countries like France, Spain, and England. How and in what ways were they successful? Why was the Holy Roman Empire not as successful as other European states in centralizing power? Examine the idea behind the balance of power. How did this concept play itself out in Europe? How was this balance of power different from the political patterns in the rest of the world? Examine the career of Martin Luther. What were the foundations of his Reformation? What legacy did he leave Europe? Why did earlier reformers not have the same impact? Examine the rise of capitalist thought and practice. What factors led to this rise? Examine the leading thinkers of the scientific revolution. Why were the early discoveries of the scientific revolution met with such resistance? In what ways did these discoveries destroy an old worldview and create a new...

Words: 516 - Pages: 3

Premium Essay

Isaac Newton Research Paper

...The scientific revolution occurred from the sixteenth century until the seventeenth century. The conceptual, methodological, and institutional approaches of the natural world changed science into our view of modern science. Although the revolution happened at the same time as Christianity flourished it did not yet obstruct the course of science revolution. The developments of science has transformed individual views of society and nature. The following figure fit this criteria exactly. Isaac Newton is known as one of the greatest figures in scientific revolution. Isaac Newton known as English scientist and mathematician in the 1600’s in England. He contributed and specialized in the branch of physic in Science. His major achievements were arranged the foundation for modern physical. Firstly, Newton invented the binominal theorem of a mathematical theories. Which...

Words: 603 - Pages: 3

Premium Essay

Age Of Enlightenment Research Paper

...period of scientific Awakening; The Age of Enlightenment was mainly around France. The enlightenment attacked the church head on focusing issues that have been avoided in the past. This took courage to try to defy the church. The Enlightenment let people question anything such as “was the earth the center of the universe” like the church said it was or is the Earth flat. There were 4 main areas which changed occurred was in Religion, Intellectual, Economic, and political. In religion, Questioning of Catholic beliefs and Protestantism led to tolerance for new ideas occurred. In, Intellectual, Free intellectual inquiry resulted from widespread opposition to religious intolerance, the French revolution led to 'age...

Words: 451 - Pages: 2

Premium Essay

How Did The Scientific Revolution Lead To The Renaissance Dbq

...introduced. Much like the Renaissance, the Scientific Revolution was an explosion of curiosity and theories. As its namesake, the Scientific Revolution included various areas of science, such as astrology, anatomy, and astronomy. This period of time, in a way, used the Renaissance as a stepping stone. The Scientific Revolution used the Renaissance’s peak of curiosity to incorporate its ideas and inspire those with interest. The Renaissance and the Scientific Revolution brought on many things such...

Words: 681 - Pages: 3

Premium Essay

Causes Of The Scientific Revolution Dbq

...During the 16th and 17th centuries the Scientific Revolution flourished. While it gained many supporters it had it’s fair share of opponents. Religious controversy, especially with the Catholic Church, hindered the work of scientists by creating barriers to stop the spread of scientific ideas. But many leaders, such as King Louis XIV, supported science for their own political purposes, helping in its advance.  Although there was widespread support for science, the norms of society crippled the strength and effectiveness of those who hoped to further and embrace scientific ideas. The Scientific Revolution led to new scientific discoveries that contradicted the set social ideas of the time. While these ideas were revolutionary, they went against...

Words: 844 - Pages: 4

Premium Essay

Tacit Knowledge: The Role Of Technology Before The Industrial Revolution

...In the period before the Industrial Revolution, the narrowness of the recognition base of "useful knowledge" was not exceptional, it was normal. Most of the technology before 180 years was born as a result of accidental discovery, trial and error, sharp craftsmanship intuition, no one got a clue to the principle working there, and used it for production. In other words, it is the so-called "tacit knowledge". However, if the epistemological basis of technology is narrow, it is expanded, refined and new applications are rarely done. This became possible from about 180 years because the whole propositional knowledge has expanded and deepened, and the "scientific revolution" makes a great contribution to the movement through influencing the industrial...

Words: 275 - Pages: 2

Premium Essay

Revolution

...society. The definition of a revolution varies, depending who you ask. Most would say the definition of a revolution is an overthrow of an established government or political system by the people governed. It also may be defined as a radical and pervasive change in society and the social structure, especially one made suddenly and often accompanied by violence. Revolution effect on society varies. Revolutions have both a positive and negative effect on people and society in which it takes place. For example the industrial revolution made sever changes in agriculture, manufacturing, mining, transportation and technology. This revolution made things easier for people; the machinery invented made working much easier. You didn't have to pull a plow because a tractor did it for you. Technology had profound effect socioeconomic and cultural conditions of the times. The industrial revolution began in the United Kingdom but spread throughout Europe, North America and eventually the rest of the world. This Revolution marks a major turning point in human history. The American revolution had a large impact on woman and their rights. The American Revolution had a large impact on slavery also. Woman before this time had little to now rights at all. Women's roles became more valued for their aid in the revolution and were under the idea of "Republican motherhood" or mothers for the new nation. They began to have ideas of the revolution stimulate hopes and expectations...

Words: 630 - Pages: 3

Premium Essay

How Did The Reformation Lead To The Scientific Revolution

...the rise of questioning authority, leading to the Scientific Revolution. The Scientific Revolution showed a rise in observations, resulting in models that represented the universe and the decline of the authority of the Catholic Church. This all would soon lead into a new era of obtaining knowledge known as the Enlightment, the Age of Reason. The most dominant religion during the fifteen century was Roman Catholicism. The clergy were the only ones who had the power to say if a person could make it to heaven or not, and anyone who opposed them was severely...

Words: 865 - Pages: 4

Free Essay

Paradigm Shift

...STRUCTURE OF SCIENTIFIC REVOLUTIONS BY THOMAS KUHN (A Reaction Paper) Submitted by: RIO KRISTINE MAY B. SILVESTRE Submitted to: DR. CARMELA N. HADIA When I learned that one of our reaction papers will be about Thomas Kuhn’s ‘Structure of Scientific Revolutions,’ I immediately searched through the internet what this article or book is about. Opening one of google’s link, I saw it was a book and (the story) looked very long. I thought to myself, ‘Oh, no! This is going to be a very long and boring read.’ And I knew I will not be able to finish reading it and give a reaction in a week so I looked for a summary of the book, instead. And there were a lot done by different people/organizations. From the various summaries I read, I found the book interesting because it was not a conventional science book. Yes, it talked a lot about science but the paradigm shift that Kuhn wrote about got my interest. The ‘scientific revolutions’ were true and believable and somehow, I agree with them. Science, or normal science as Thomas Kuhn put it, is the process of gathering facts to build hypotheses that explain different phenomena in the world. It is a ‘research firmly based upon one or more past scientific achievements, achievements that some particular community acknowledges for a time as supplying the foundation for its further practice.’ And this is the science that almost everybody knows. This is the science I know. I couldn’t care less what those...

Words: 927 - Pages: 4