| Term Paper Title | Galileo |
| # of Words | 667 |
| # of Pages (250 words per page double spaced) | 2.67 |
Galileo
Galileo was born near Pisa, on February 15, 1564. His father, Vincenzo Galilei, played an important role in the musical revolution from medieval polyphony to harmonic modulation. Galileo was taught by monks at Vallombrosa and then entered the University of Pisa in 1581 to study medicine. He soon turned to philosophy and mathematics, leaving the university without a degree in 1585. For a time, he tutored privately and wrote on hydrostatics and natural motions, but he did not publish them. In 1589 he became a professor of mathematics at Pisa, where he is reported to have shown his students the error of Aristotle’s belief that speed of fall is proportional to weight, by dropping two objects of different weight simultaneously from the Leaning Tower
At Padua, Galileo invented a calculating “compass” for the practical solution of mathematical problems. He turned from speculative physics to careful measurements, discovered the law of falling bodies and of the parabolic path of projectiles, studied the motions of pendulums, and investigated mechanics and the strength of materials. He showed little interest in astronomy, although beginning in 1595 he preferred the Copernican theory (sun centered theory)—that the earth revolves around the sun. Only the Copernican model supported Galileo’s tide theory, which was based on motions of the earth.
In 1609 he heard that the Dutch had invented a spyglass, what is now called a telescope. In August of that year he presented a telescope, about as powerful as a modern field glass with a magnification of about 40. He also saw that the Milky Way was composed of stars, and he discovered the four largest moons of Jupiter. He published these findings in March 1610 in The Starry Messenger. His new fame gained him appointment as court mathematician at Florence. He was thereby freed from teaching duties and had time for research and writing. By December 1610 he had observed the phases of Venus, which contradicted Ptolemaic astronomy and confirmed his preference for the Copernican system.
The professors of philosophy sco...Read entire document
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