“You cannot teach a man anything; you can only help him find it within himself.”
Born : February 15, 1564 in Pisa in the Duchy of Florence, Italy
Died : January 8, 1642 (aged 77) in Arcetri near Florence, Italy
Father : Vincenzo Galilei
Mother : Giulia di Cosimo Ammannati
Nationality : Italian
Known For : Dynamics, Kinematics, Heliocentrism, Telescopic observational astronomy
Galileo’s Books :
The Operations of the Geometrical and Military Compass (1604)
The Starry Messenger (1610)
Dialogue Concerning the Two Chief World Systems (1632)
Discourse on Bodies in Water (1612)
Two New Sciences (1638)
7 Interesting Facts About Galileo Galilei, Father of Modern Physics :
1. Was supposed to study medicine
– In 1581 young Galilei(Father of Modern Physics) enrolled in the University of Pisa, where he was supposed to study medicine at the wish of his father. But then Galileo got interested in mathematics and philosophy and decided to become a professional in it whatever his father said.
2. First used telescope
– Inspired by the idea of spyglass which was invented in Netherlands, Galileo designed his own telescope and first used it to observe the sky. With its help, he discovered four moons around Jupiter, drew the Moon’s phases and found out that there are more stars than we can see without a telescope.
3. Confronted Aristotle
-In 1589 Galileo proved that if you drop a heavy object from the height, the speed of a fall wouldn’t be proportional to a weight of the object. This statement was contrary to Aristotle’s opinion. Galileo also managed to undermine Aristotelian cosmology.
4. Formulated the principle of relativity
– Despite we strongly associate this phenomenon with the name of Einstein, the special principle of relativity was first described by Galileo. He proved that the laws of physics act equally in any system moving with a constant speed. This principle became fundamental for Newton’s laws and Einstein’s work.
5. Supported heliocentrism and suffered inquisition process
– Aristotle believed that the Earth was the center of the universe. Galileo defended heliocentrism, the astronomical model described by Nicolaus Copernicus. This view was considered foolish and heretical, and Galileo had to face the Roman Inquisition. There is a legend, that during his appearance before the Inquisition Galileo whispered: “And yet it moves“.
6. Formulated the principle of inertia
– One more Aristotle’s mistake fixed by Galileo Galilei. The physicist proved that the force can influence the acceleration, not velocity. The bodies not under the force can retain their speed. This conclusion became one of Newton’s laws of motion.
7. Founder of experimental Physics
– Galileo was sure that the laws of nature are mathematical. This idea was the key point in scientific revolution. This helped to separate science from philosophy and religion. The experimentation became the recognized method for discovering nature.
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