|
Research Paper on Galileo Galilei Biography is published for informational purposes only. The free papers are not written by our writers, they are contributed by users, so we are not responsible for the content of this free sample paper. If you want to buy a quality essay paper on Research Paper on Galileo Galilei Biography at affordable prices please use our essay writing services offered by EssayEmpire.
Sir Isaac Newton is famously quoted as stating, "if I have seen farther it is by standing on the shoulders of Giants." the giants to whom he was referring included Galileo Galilei and Johannes Kepler, especially Galileo. Today's scientists recognize Newton and Galileo together as the fathers of modern science. It was Galileo who introduced unwavering, consistent dependence on observation and measurement in the evaluation of scientific theories. Before him, there was no serious observation or measurement at all, only metaphysics and dogma. The ancient Greek thinker Aristotle had made some claims about the natural world. The Catholic Church, a powerful force in Europe at that time, supported and defended those claims that were consistent with its then-literal interpretation of the Bible. The most important of those claims was the cosmological scheme called geocentrism. In this scheme earth holds the position as the center of the universe, while all the heavenly bodies, consisting of the sun, the moon, the planets, and the stars, revolve around earth on "spheres." Earth and its inhabitants were deemed imperfect, while the heavenly spheres and their heavenly bodies were supposed to be perfect. Woe to anybody who questioned that accepted picture of the world. Such a person was in danger of being ostracized from the community of natural philosophers and, moreover, exposed himself to the wrath of the inquisition, that powerful body of the church that "defended" the faith from heresy. Galileo not only questioned the prevailing dogmas about the natural world, but proved some of them wrong.
Galileo was born on February 15, 1564, in Pisa in what is now Italy, and was the first of the six children of his father, Vincenzio Galilei, and mother, Giulia Ammannati. Galileo's father was a musician and music theorist, who studied such matters as the relation of the pitch of a plucked string to the force stretching the string, the string's tension. This interest exposed Galileo at an early age to the investigation of phenomena through measurement. As a young man, Galileo considered becoming a priest, but at his father's urging, instead started studying medicine at the university of Pisa. In the middle of his course of study, he switched direction and studied mathematics instead, obtaining his degree in that field.
In 1589, at the age of 25, Galileo was hired to teach mathematics at the university of Pisa, and three years later he took a position at the university of Padua, where he taught astronomy and mechanics, in addition to mathematics, for 18 years, until 1610. Although never married, Galileo had three children with Marina Gamba, who were born during 1600-06. The two oldest were girls, Virginia and Livia, born in 1600 and 1601, respectively. They were both sent to a convent, where they took the names Maria Celeste and Suor Arcangela and remained for their whole lives. The son, Vincenzio, was born in 1606. While at the university of Padua, Galileo made important discoveries in pure and applied science, including the study of motion, astronomy, and telescope construction. . .
Free essays are not written to satisfy your specific instructions. You can order a term paper, research paper or custom essay on Research Paper on Galileo Galilei Biography at our site which offers professional essay writing services. Get your high quality custom paper at affordable price. EssayEmpire is the best solution for those who seek help in essay writing related to Research Paper on Galileo Galilei Biography and other relevant topics.
|