SCIENTIFIC REVOLUTION

OBJECTIVE

• List circumstances that led to the Scientific Revolution

• Summarize the development of the heliocentric theory

• Describe the scientific method and explain Newton’s law of gravity

The Big Idea

• During the scientific revolution, scientist used reason to explain why things happened in universe.

• A new way of thinking, based on experimentation and observation, changed the way Europeans looked at the world.

Geocentric system

• Earth is the center of the universe– Ptolemy, Aristotle and

Church

Heliocentric system

Scientific Revolution• Scientific Revolution- New way of thinking about

natural world. Based on logic and reason.

• Exploration led to new discoveries. Europeans open to the idea that there were new truths to be found.

• Copernicus- interested in Greek (Aristarchus’ idea) that the Earth revolves around the sun. Proved it using math. Published it 1 year before his death.

Galileo Galelei

• Galileo built telescope and proved Copernicus right. Put on trial by the Church

• Newton- used Calculus to prove gravity keeps Earth in orbit around the Sun

Free Fall-The law of falling bodies-Gravity

• Galileo disproved Aristotle’s theory

• He dropped stones of different weights to the ground from atop the Leaning Tower of Pisa. He proved that objects of different weights fell at the same speed.

Newton’s laws of gravity• Considering the force between

Sun and the Earth the force exerted on the Earth by the Sun is equal and opposite to the force exerted on the Sun by the Earth.

• If the mass of the Earth were doubled, the force on the Earth would double. If the mass of the Sun were doubled, the force on the Earth would double.

• If the Earth were twice as far away from the Sun, the force on the Earth would be a factor four smaller.

GRAVITATION

• Gravitation is a natural phenomenon by which all objects with mass attract each other, and is one of the fundamental forces of physics.

• Gravitation gives objects weight.

• It is responsible for keeping the Earth and the other planets in their orbits around the Sun. (F=mg)

Two important thinkers

• Francis Bacon- stressed experimentation and observation as the best way to learn truth.

• Rene Descartes- argued that human reasoning was the best way to gain understanding.– “I think, therefore I am.”

Scientific Method

• The scientific method is a logical procedure for gathering and testing ideas.

• Hypothesis- educated guess(unproved assumption)- Theory

Scientific method

• The main steps of the scientific method