Galileo& His Impact on Society
Known to some people as the father of modern science, Galileo impacted this field in such a way that he was put on trial for going against the Catholic Church?s beliefs, because he supported the Copernican theory that the Earth revolved around the sun. The Church?s belief was that the Earth was in the center of the universe and all heavenly bodies went around the Earth (geocentric theory or Ptolemaic theory, followers of Aristotle believed this too). His improvement on the telescope helped him see celestial objects in the night sky, which no one had ever done before (using a telescope to observe the heavens). He saw the imperfections of the universe, which offended the Church as well (the Church believed all celestial bodies were perfect). One of these observations were the dark spots on the sun (sunspots). During the trial, the Holy Office of the Inquisition (the Church) forced Galileo to say that he did not believe in Copernicus? theory. As he was being taken away to prison, it is said he had whispered, ?Eppur si muove,? ? But still it moves ? referring to the Earth. Galileo was an active and outgoing man. He had several friends, from professors and noblemen to members of the Church, artists, and traders. He loved to
An inventor as well, Galileo created other useful materials, such as the thermoscope. It was used to measure temperature and air pressure. It was the first time temperature change could be accurately reported. Another item was the proportional compass, a mathematical instrument used to calculate numbers, square roots, and finding volumes and densities of objects. He also designed the hydrostatic balance. It was used to identify the metals from which objects were made and it helped find proportions of alloys, mixtures, and metals. This was useful because some goldsmiths and silversmiths might trick customers by mixing cheap metals with valuable ones. With the telescope, Galileo was also able to see that Venus had phases, like the moon and discovered Saturn?s strange appearances (because it has rings). The Pope, however, changed the punishment to house arrest. During this time, he suffered from a hernia. The Church didn?t allow him to leave to see a doctor. Later he went blind because of an infection. His blindness did not cease him from keeping himself busy; he wrote letters to many scientists and was visited by many people, like the Grand Duke of Tuscany (his long-time friend), the English poet John Milton, and Thomas Hobbes, the English scientist and philosopher. With the telescope, he discovered many things in the heavens above, and was able to disprove some arguments made about them. For example, he found out there were mountains, craters, and valleys on the moon. Because the Earth?s moon was a heavenly object, many people did not believe his claims because they thought it had to be smooth. In 1615, Galileo wrote a letter to defend himself, that scien
Some common words found in the essay are:
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Approximate Word count = 1138
Approximate Pages = 5 (250 words per page double spaced)
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