Galileo Galilei

Galileo was a child of Vincenzo Galilei, a well-educated musician and scholar who made crucial theories and practice in the music field. In his mid-teens, Galileo went to monastery school, then later went to study medicine at the University of Pisa in 1581. When studying, Galileo was distracted by his interest in Mathematics, a profession that his father disagreed with. Soon after, Galileo left university without a degree but started tutoring mathematics to people. In this period of time, Galileo managed to design a new form of hydrostatic balance.

He also made some of the first observations of nature with long-lasting implications for physics (biography.com). He is known for developing the telescope and stood by the Copernican theory, which is based on a sun-centered solar system where the planets revolve around the sun (biography.com). Galileo’s biggest issue was supporting Copernican’s theory, because it went against society (biography.com). Society once thought that the Earth was flat and they thought that the sun revolved around us. When Galileo went against that, people looked down upon him. Galileo did conform so he could make life easier (biography.com). “Church reaction against the book was swift, and Galileo was summoned to Rome. The Inquisition proceedings lasted from September 1632 to July 1633. During most of this time, Galileo was treated with respect and never imprisoned. However, in a final attempt to break him, Galileo was threatened with torture, and he finally admitted he had supported Copernican theory, but privately held that his statements were correct. He was convicted of heresy and spent his remaining years under house arrest (biography.com).”

Scientifically, Galileo will be remembered for invention of the telescope, which allowed astronomers, sailors and other view the heavens and seas, which fed their own theories. He used his own invention to discover the four moons of Jupiter, the mountains and craters of the moon, and sunspots. His work on falling objects led to gravitational studies and mathematical theorems which are on a basic level, physics. Experimentation was used as a means to prove the laws of science along with the mathematical theories. Math, according to Galileo, was the only infallible form of logic. If a mathematical law could be formed from an event, then it was a logical, rational event. His breaking from the Catholic Church, voicing his findings and staying with his convictions broke the traditional way of thinking that the Church was the end all and be all of all things. In the end, he was proven right for most of his beliefs and vindicated for his suppression.

to the Aristotelian view. In 1585, due to financial difficulties Galileo left the university before

Annotated Bibliography: Galileo Galilei By Mitchell D’India Shea, William R., and Mariano Artigas. Galileo in Rome: The Rise and Fall of a Troublesome Genius. Oxford: Oxford UP, 2003. Print. A unique retelling of the six times Galileo traveled into Rome and fought for the theories Copernicus brought forward.

Galileo knew exactly what he liked and decided to focus on it, and all that focus led to many discoveries that have impacted modern life today. Also, Galileo’s family was part of nobility, but they weren’t as rich as other nobles. This life gave Galileo his basic provisions, but he wasn’t spoiled, so he learned to think for himself and pursue his interests. Because Galileo didn’t have to worry about providing for his younger siblings or parents like other peasants might, he was pretty much set, and had the time and money for school. Receiving an education from childhood might have sparked his interest in science and math early on, and might have helped him learn faster in the future. Next, Galileo was appointed as the mathematics professor at the University of Padua in 1592. Teaching mathematics might have helped deepen Galileo’s understanding of the subject, which would have helped him develop his theories and make discoveries. He might have been inspired by one of his students, or found a different way of thinking of the topic by becoming so familiar with it. Finally, the fact that Galileo got his hands on

The Operations of the Geometrical and Military Compass (1604), which revealed Galileo’s skills with experiments and practical technological applications.

Galileo was born in 1564, and was considered to be a scientist from a young age. By the age of twenty five he was able to teach at the University of Pisa, which brought him popularity in Europe. Having the resources

In 1592 he became the head mathematician at the University of Padua (“Galileo Galilei”). While teaching at the University of Padua, Galileo’s fame grew because of his interesting lectures. Galileo soon acquired a crowd of followers. While at the university he began work on a telescope. He finished this telescope in 1609.

However, he fathered two children with Marina Gamba. His two daughters, Virginia and Livia, were both put in convents because Galileo deemed them “unmarriageable”, since they were both born out of wedlock. He attended the University of Pisa,

Galileo has done so many important experiments and contributed quite a lot to the world of science. Most of his research and experiments were done in Italy, one of which was on 1604 when he created the universal law of acceleration. He also supported the Copernican theory.

Discovery of the telescope was important because the telescope is used by astrophysicists and astronomers in modern day. The work and discoveries that have been made as a result of the invention of the telescope are monstrous, and therefore the invention is very important. The discoveries that are made by these scientists would not be possible without the original work of Galileo Galilei. For instance, “In 1609 Galileo built his first telescope, improving upon a Dutch design. In January of 1610 he discovered four new “stars” orbiting Jupiter—the planet’s four largest moons” (History.com).

His discoveries made him infamous in the eyes of the Church and changed how people look at the earth with respect to the Universe. Being so proud of his remarkable discoveries he decided to Duchess Christina. “I discovered in the heavens many things that had not been seen before our own age.” (Ch 16, Doc 4) He writes of his findings and how they were criticized and he was ridiculed for his findings. They denounce his new perception of the world, but Galileo knew that new discoveries would have “consequences” and that people would turn against him.

He wanted to study the heavens, so he built his own telescope. First he studied optics because he didn’t have any knowledge of optics. Then he applied his newly found knowledge of optics and constructed his own telescope. He basically did what any modern day engineers would do. He had a problem, and he figured a way to solve it. In this case, he wanted a telescope but didn’t know anything about mirrors or lens. He spent time researching optics, and then built himself a telescope. Galileo also invented several other instruments such as, the pendulum clock and the sector. Nonetheless, Galileo was a brilliant engineer. He excelled in other areas, such as mathematics and astronomy. Galileo was also very proud and obsessed with his work. He was so obsessed with his work, that he became stubborn. Even when he knew the consequence of his actions would get him in trouble. He continued to publish work on the heliocentric model of the universe. His determination to bring light to the Copernican theory eventually took away his

In 1589, he was back to Pisa and was appointed to the chair of mathematics. Two years later, his father dies and had to support his younger brother. He then moved and taught in the University of Padua. During that time Galileo met Marina Gamba and although he was religious he fathered three children by her without marriage. Because he had two