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Galileo Research Paper

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Galileo Galilei, the most renowned scientist of the Renaissance period, or the “father of modern science” was known as a jack-of-all-trades: he was an astronomer, physicist, engineer, philosopher, and mathematician just to name a few. But perhaps what he is most known for is spurring the scientific revolution in the late seventeenth century. Galileo challenged what was then considered common knowledge for almost 30 years: for example, the idea of a heliocentric universe. The most controversial of these ideas was embracing the theories of Nicholas Copernicus. Not only did he embrace Copernicus’ ideas, but expanded and substantiated them. The consequences of these actions were multiple trials with the Church regarding his work and later …show more content…

Even when he was a young boy in Pisa, Italy, Galileo showed signs of genius, but he also showed signs of being a rebel. A rebellious spirit would get him in a lot of trouble later on in his life. It is speculated that he received some early schooling in Pisa; In fact, during his early student years in Pisa, Galileo is said to have made the observation that would one day make him famous. He noticed the lamp in the sanctuary swung like a pendulum from the cathedral ceiling and to have discovered the time taken for a swing was independent of the size of the arc. By this point, in Galileo’s life, it was clear that medicine was not the right field for him. Due to the discovery of his talents in mathematics and philosophy he dropped out of college without a degree in medicine. Even before he began to look focus on what his new discoveries meant, Galileo considered himself a Copernican or a follower of Copernicus. He especially respected Copernicus’ work in and ideas about astronomy. In 1610, 25 years after he dropped out of university, he became aware of a telescope developed by a regular correspondent of his, Johannes Kepler. Galileo rushed to construct his own, and soon after, he announced many new astronomical discoveries. Some of these included his discovery that the Milky Way is made up of innumerable stars and his observation of the satellites of Jupiter. Already, at a young age, Galileo had begun to

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