Brandon White 8/12/10
The History Of Science Dr. Lansang
This week I learned a few things and about a few people. The main people I learned about were scientists and the first one was Galileo Galilei. Galileo was very talented and “invented” the telescope. Actually he heard about the idea of what was called the optical tube and was able to go back home and “invent” the optical tube quickly and was able to claim to be the first. The real inventor’s name was lost and Galileo was given the credit even though he stole the idea. But even though he stole the idea, he was able to assemble information about space and the planets. He had enough information to prove that the heliocentric system was superior to the geocentric system. But the Roman Catholic Church would not allow that to pass. He was put to trial and since he was a devout Christian, he obeyed the church and stopped publicly but kept gaining information. So after death his data was too powerful to ignore and was soon accepted as correct and the geocentric system failed.
Isaac Newton is another scientist that we learned about this week. His many achievements is what improved science. Newton’s inventions such as the branch of math known as calculus, the three axioms or later known as the three laws of motion, and laws of gravity are some of the few things that enhanced science. Newton became a Lucasian Professor at Cambridge at only 27! By the year 1678, Newton wrote what is recognized as the greatest scientific book ever written, The Principia. This book included the laws of gravity and motion. Even though Newton had so many accomplishments, he suffered two career-ending nervous breakdowns. No one really knows what caused his breakdowns but what we do know is that he always wanted fame but feared criticism.
The last thing I learned this week is about engines. Specifically steam engines and the different engineers that contributed to its many improvements. Greek mathematician and engineer, Hero, created the earliest known steam engines during the 1st century A.D. People ignored the steam power principle until the late 1600s. Denis Papin, Thomas Savery, Thomas Newcomen, James Watt, Richard Trevithick, and George Stephenson were the main people that made major improvements to the steam engine and use steam power. But the most important improvement was by James Watt. His improvement allowed factories to be cities in other areas besides next to water sources and it sped up production.