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The Scientific Revolution
Chapter 17
Section 1
The Scientific Revolution
• The Scientific Revolution marked the beginning of a
dramatic shift in how people viewed the world. The
medieval and early modern European outlook had
been dominated by religion. As a result of this
revolution, many came to see the world predominantly
in secular and scientific ways. In the short term, the
Scientific Revolution set the stage for the
Enlightenment; its long-term repercussions can still be
felt today.
THE SCIENTIFIC REVOLUTION
 Questioning old
knowledge &
assumptions
 Rejection of religious
authority and demystification of
the universe
 Gradual rise of science &
reason
 Scientists of this era differed
from predecessors in combining
mathematics and experiments
Models of the Universe:
Geocentric vs. Heliocentric
Geocentric: the Earth is at the
center of the universe; all
heavenly bodies move around
the Earth
Heliocentric: the Sun is at
the center of the universe; all
heavenly bodies move
around the Sun—including
the Earth
Old Geocentric Theory
Official view of the Catholic Church
Geocentric: Earth-centered
Sun rises
Sun sets
Earth seems still
Geocentric Theory
Proof:
Earth seems stationary
Sun seems to move across the sky
Bible quotes
Blind acceptance of Greek teachings
Man views himself as focus of the universe
Teachings of Aristotle – 300 BCE
World is made up of 5
elements:
Earth, air, water, fire
and Quintessence
Earth does not rotate.
Teachings of Aristotle
Clear, round, domes hold
planets and stars.
Laws of Motion:
Things move by
weight or violent force
Ptolemy 150 CE (Greek)
Agrees with Aristotle
Used math and Geometry to “prove” the
Geocentric Theory
Problems:
•Planets must travel in loop orbits
•Does not fit calendar
•Math is forced
NEW HELIOCENTRIC THEORY
The theory is introduced by Copernicus (1473 –
1543) a Polish astronomer and mathematician
Goal: Fix the problems of Ptolemy (Calendar
and math)
Make the sun the
center and the
math works!
HELIOCENTRIC THEORY
Sun is the center of the
universe.
The earth revolves around the
sun and it rotates
Problem: It goes against the
teachings Aristotle and
“common sense”
On the Revolutions of the Celestial Spheres,
the book written by Copernicus is not
published until after his death
Johannes Kepler (1571 – 1630) German
The Proof: Used Brahe’s measurements –
made one adjustment, and the math worked
perfectly!
Laws:
Planets travel in an Ellipse
Planets travel slow then
fast
Figure distance from sun by
how long it takes to revolve
around sun. T² = ka³
Explain the difference
between the
Geocentric and the
Heliocentric theory’s.
Arabic Numerals
During the Middle Ages, Europeans switched from Roman to
Arabic numerals. This is very important for the Scientific
Revolution. (Leonardo de Pisa)
Without this system, Copernicus could not have made his
mathematical calculations,
Arabic numerals use a place number system consisting of ten
numerals – when these are used up, a new number is added.
Allows for fast calculations.
Try to multiply: MDMCXLVII BY CCCLXXII without
converting to Arabic Numerals
Tycho Brahe (Danish
mathematician)
Takes measurements for
over 20 years
Really supported Aristotlewanted to prove
Copernicus wrong
Provides the mathematical
evidence that Copernicus
is correct.
Leaves his work to
assistant Johannes
Kepler
NEW DIRECTIONS IN
ASTRONOMY & PHYSICS
 NICOLAUS COPERNICUS
(1473-1543)
Polish
monk
Observed patterns of star and
planet movement
Called into question the literal
truth of the Scriptures
Copernicus waited until he was
near death to publish his findings
NEW DIRECTIONS IN
ASTRONOMY & PHYSICS
 JOHANNES KEPLER,
(1571-1630):
Proved mathematically many
of Copernicus’ theories
Developed idea of elliptical
planetary movement
Galileo Galilei (1564–1642)
 Italian mathematician,
astronomer
 “Father of Science”
 Telescopes and astronomical
discoveries
 Theory of falling objects;
disproved Aristotle
Galileo’s
telescopic
drawing
of the
moon
 GALILEO GALILEI
(1564-1642) Italian
scientist
 Improved the telescope
 Made observations that
proved the Copernican theory
of the universe
 Described motion of bodies
on earth
1633 -- Church forced Galileo
to recant; placed under house
arrest.
Galileo vs. the Catholic Church
 The church
condemned
heliocentric
conceptions of
the universe
 The Roman
Inquisition
 Galileo’s trial
 Galileo
recants, put
under house
arrest
19th-century depiction of Galileo before the
Why did the church put
Galileo Galilei on trial?
ISAAC NEWTON
(1642-1727)
 mathematician and physicist,
one of the foremost scientific
intellects of all time.
Universal Gravitation: combined
laws of planetary & earth motion
 new developments in optics and
chemistry
 developed calculus
 work had numerous practical
applications
THE SCIENTIFIC REVOLUTION
DISCOVERIES IN OTHER SCIENCES
 Botany: new medical
applications
 Anatomy: better
understand of how human
body worked
 Microscope invented
Medicine Before
the Scientific Revolution
 Based on tradition
 The Church
 Before the Scientific Revolution, many practitioners of




medicine relied on theories that were centuries old and
rarely based on anatomical research or observation.
Medical treatments were at best ineffective and at worst
lethal.
The Church banned dissection, a practice critical in
understanding the human body and how illnesses affect it.
In general, the Church viewed sickness not so much as a
physical disorder but as a spiritual punishment for sin.
Human intervention was seen as challenging the will of God.
William Harvey (1578–1657)
 English physician
 On the Movement of
the Heart and Blood in
Animals
 Described the
functioning of the heart
and circulatory system
 Disproved Galen’s
theories
New Invention: The
Telescope
 Invented in the Netherlands
 Galileo - Made improvements
to it in the early 1600s, it had
not really been widely used as
a practical tool for scientific
observation
 Newton - Made further
refinements in the early 1700s
when he invented the
reflector telescope, which
uses a curved mirror to
magnify objects to a much
greater degree than a simple
glass lens is capable.
 Hans Janssen
New Invention: The
Microscope
 Anton Van
Leeuwenhoek
 Robert Hooke
Hooke’s drawing of a flea
(from Micrographia)
A Janssen microscope, c.1600
The Microscope
• 1590 - Hans Janssen began to construct compound microscopes, which
used several lenses and produced much greater magnification of objects.
• 1600’s - Anton Van Leeuwenhoek developed new methods for grinding
and polishing tiny lenses of great curvature which gave magnifications
up to 270 diameters, the finest known at that time. He used these lenses
to build vastly improved microscopes and make several groundbreaking
observations: he was the first to see bacteria, blood corpuscles, and the
“life” found in a drop of water.
• 1660’s, - Robert Hooke of the Royal Society of London improved on
Leeuwenhoek’s microscope and performed a series of weekly
demonstrations to show the power of the instrument. In 1665, he wrote
Micrographia, a finely illustrated compendium of microscopic
observations that also used the word “cell” as a biological term for the
first time; the book sparked increased public interest in microscopy.
New Invention:
The Pendulum Clock
 Invented by Christiaan
Huygens, a 17thcentury Dutch scientist
 Allowed scientists to
more accurately
measure time
Huygens’s design for a pendulum
clock
New Invention: Barometer
 Invented by 17th-century
Italian physicist
Evangelista Torricelli
 The barometer measures
air pressure
Torricelli’s barometer
New Invention:
Thermometer
 Invented in the 17th century by
Santorio Santorio, an Italian
scientist
 Ferdinand II – First Sealed
Thermometer – Used Alcohol
 Gabriel Fahrenheit – Used Mercury
and invented the first standard
temperature scale
 Anders Celsius – Second
temperature scale
Illustration depicting
Santorio’s thermometer
New Invention:
Mechanical Calculator
 Invented by
Wilhelm Schickard
Wilhelm Schickard,
a 17th-century
German inventor
 Gottfried von
Leibniz’s “Step
Reckoner”, Square
Roots
 Forerunner to
A 1624 sketch
Schickard made of his
modern day
calculator
Computers
 Chemistry:
 Robert Boyle worked on the properties of gases;
Boyle’s Law: the volume of a gas varies with the
pressure exerted on it
 Antoine Lavoisier: invented system of naming
chemical elements
– regarded as founder of
modern chemistry.
What inventions were
created or improved during
the scientific revolution?

Women and the Origins of Modern Science:

Margaret Cavendish: wrote Observations Upon
Experimental Philosophy; in the book she was
critical of the growing belief that humans,
through science, were masters of nature

Maria Winkelmann: discovered a comet; was
refused a teaching position because of her sex
RENÉ DESCARTES
(1596-1650)
 Geometry: any algebraic formula
could be plotted as curve in space
 Deductive Reasoning: predicting
particular results from general
principles
 Cogito ergo sum (“I think,
therefore I am”)
Francis Bacon and
the Scientific Method
 1561–1626
 English philosopher and
empiricist
 Inductive reasoning
 Argued for experimental
methodology
The Scientific Method
Science as a multiple-step process:
1. Observe an 2. Develop a
3. Test the
object or
theory that
theory with
phenomeno
explains the
experiments
n
object or
phenomenon
What are the
characteristics of
the scientific
method?
Significance of the
Scientific Revolution
Contributions of these scientists made the universe
comprehensible for the first time
The individual became much more important; collective
authority was not the source of wisdom…individual intellect was
Began long adversarial relationship between science and
religion
The Revolution laid the foundation for the Enlightenment of the
18th century…
Identify examples of new ideas in the form of scientific
discoveries or innovations that appeared during the
1500s and 1600s.
New Scientific Ideas
Idea
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