THE SCIENTIFIC REVOLUTION - WORLD HISTORY

THE OLD WAY OF THINKING

Before the scientific revolution, everything was believed to be a result of going against God or someone else in one way or another. But eventually, this would change as the scientific revolution brought around the scientific method.

THE NEW WAY OF THINKING

People began to stop believing everything that came out of the church’s mouth, as scientists began to use reason to explain what happened in nature and why. Not only this, people began to question the church’s authority. Now, this was caused by the renaissance AND the age of exploration. In the age of exploration, better technology was needed and sailors had to solve navigational troubles. There was also a questioning of Medieval Universities.

MAJOR THEORIES/PEOPLE IN THE SCIENTIFIC REVOLUTION

A. Nicolaus Copernicus — The Heliocentric Theory

1. Born in Toluń, Poland, and went to Italy for College where he studied mathematics & astronomy.

2. The sun is the center of the Universe = opposite of the RC Church’s teachings & Ptlomy’s Geocentric Theory

3. The church was IRATE over the hearsay of these “scientists.”

B. Johannes Kelper — Three Laws of Planetary Motion

1. Johannes Kelper was a German scientist and mathematician that PROVED Copernicus’ Heliocentric Theory

2. Kelper was born near where Stuttgart, Germany is today. He studied at the University of Tübingen in Germany, and after being taught both the Geocentric and Heliocentric theory & reading Copernicus’ book, he decided to devote his life to proving the theory.

3. Rotation of planets are in elliptical motion.

C. Galileo Galilei — Experimentation & Physical Motion

1. Made his own telescope to prove the Heliocentric Theory.

2. Brought to Trial by RC Church. He was given the choice to either recant or die a heretic.

3. He recanted, stayed under house arrest until his natural death, as he continued to experiment secretly and publish his findings.

D. Issac Newton — Laws of Motion & Gravity

1. Issac Newton came up with the Theory of Gravity AND Laws of Motion.

2. He asked questions such as “What causes an apple to fall down and not up?” & "Which similar object hits the ground first? Lighter or Heavier?”

E. Rene Descartes — Human Reasoning

1. Human Reasoning through math is the best road to understanding.

2. Pioneered coordinate Geometry, showing geometric problems could reduced to algebraic problems and solved more easily.

F. Francis Bacon —