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The History of the World in Six Glasses

Good Essays

A History of the World in Six Glasses SPIRITS 1. From which advanced civilization/culture did Europeans get the “science” of how to make spirits? The Europeans got the “science” of how to make spirits from Córdoba in southern Spain, the capital of Arab Andalusia. 2. In what ways was the “discovery” and use of distillation important to the rebirth of science in Europe? How was distillation perceived and which infant science did it go hand in hand with, this probably leading to further work and discovery? Also look at what sorts of texts had to be translated and what that might have led to. The “discovery” and use of distillation was important to the rebirth of science in Europe by creating new principles of chemistry. …show more content…

The coffeehouses allowed both students and scientists to discuss their ideas and achievements in a relaxed environment. This was what members of the Royal Society, Britain’s scientific institution, enjoyed so much about them. Wren, the founder, and Hooke, a member, talked about the behaviour of springs with each other. Hooke also shared his ideas about medical remedies with other members at the coffeehouses. Most prominent, though, was Wren, Hooke and Halley’s (another member of the Royal Society) discussion on the theory of gravity, which then progressed to whether or not elliptical shapes of planetary orbits were consistent with gravitational force that diminished with the inverse square of distance. The three men never agreed on an answer. Which was why, a few months later when Wren met Isaac Newton in Cambridge, he asked the famous scientist the very same question they had debated. Newton said that yes, an inverse-square law of gravity would give rise to elliptical orbits, although he could not confirm it because he had no proof. That same year, Newton, having become determine to prove this theory, sent Halley a paper with the proof he had discovered. Halley went on to publish one of history’s greatest books of science called “Mathematical Principles of Natural Philosophy.” So, were it not for coffeehouses, Wren, Hooke and Halley may never have discussed this topic, leading to one of the world’s most important scientific discoveries. 5. How

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