Galileo galilei biography in brief
Galileo galilei biography in brief: › Science › Physics
Galileo was born in the city of Pisa, Italy, into a family of merchants. At ten years of age, his parents moved to Florence, leaving him in the care of a religious neighbor who would eventually introduce him to ecclesiastical life. His father was not a religious man and as soon as he found out a few years later, removed his son from the convent he attended.
His father enrolled him in the University of Pisa to study medicine instead. Young Galileo, however, did not find his vocation in medicine. In addition, his low tolerance towards authority, ignorance, and lack of critical thinking of his teachers, led him to leave the university at age He decided to focus on his true vocation: physics. At 25, after some imbeing burned at the stake.
Galileo galilei biography in brief: He was one of the
From that moment, he began to combine teaching with research and the invention of new scientific instruments. InGalileo heard about the invention of the telescope in Holland. Without having seen an example, he constructed a superior version and made many astronomical discoveries. These included mountains and valleys on the surface of the moon, sunspots, the four largest moons of the planet Jupiter and the phases of the planet Venus.
His work on astronomy made him famous and he was appointed court mathematician in Florence. InGalileo was accused of heresy for his support of the Copernican theory that the sun was at the centre of the solar system. This was revolutionary at a time when most people believed the Earth was in this central position. Inhe was forbidden by the church from teaching or advocating these theories.
However, opinion gradually hardened and in the Copernican theory was declared heretical. There is a passage in the Old Testament where a prophet named Joshua commanded the Sun to stand still in the sky Joshua Some scholars said this meant the Sun must move. Of course, Joshua knew nothing about Astronomy. To him, the Sun appeared to move across the sky.
Galileo galilei biography in brief: 1. Brief Biography. Galileo was
Naturally, he would command the Sun to stand still and to him, it would have appeared to stand still. However, Galileo was a resolute supporter of the Copernican theory. As a result, he was summoned to Rome to be examined by the Inquisition. He arrived in January Galileo was threatened with torture unless he renounced the Copernican theory.
Not surprisingly he agreed to do so. Nevertheless, he was put under house arrest for the rest of his life. Inhe published his observations of sunspots, which also refuted Aristotelian doctrine that the sun was perfect. Galileo published a number of books throughout his career, including:. Dialogue Concerning the Two Chief World Systemsa discussion among three people: one who supports Copernicus' heliocentric theory of the universe, one who argues against it, and one who is impartial.
Galileo galilei biography in brief: Galileo (born February 15,
Though Galileo claimed Dialogues was neutral, it was clearly not. The advocate of Aristotelian belief comes across as the simpleton, getting caught in his own arguments. In addition to the telescope and his numerous mathematical and scientific discoveries, in Galileo constructed a hydrostatic balance for measuring small objects. That same year, he also refined his theories on motion and falling objects, and developed the universal law of acceleration, which all objects in the universe obeyed.
He also devised a type of simple thermometer. A simple glass-bulb thermometer known as a Galileo thermometer wasn't invented by Galileo, but was based on his understanding that the density of liquids changes based on its temperature. A thermoscope that Galileo designed or helped to design is similar to modern-day thermometers. Inside the thermoscope, a liquid rises and falls in a glass tube as the temperature of the liquid rises or falls.
After Galileo built his telescope inhe began mounting a body of evidence and openly supporting the Copernican theory that the earth and planets revolve around the sun. The Copernican theory, however, challenged the doctrine of Aristotle and the established order set by the Catholic Church. InGalileo wrote a letter to a student to explain how Copernican theory did not contradict Biblical passages, stating that scripture was written from an earthly perspective and implied that science provided a different, more accurate perspective.
The letter was made public and Church Inquisition consultants pronounced Copernican theory heretical. Galileo obeyed the order for seven years, partly to make life easier and partly because he was a devoted Catholic. He allowed Galileo to pursue his work on astronomy and even encouraged him to publish it, on condition it be objective and not advocate Copernican theory.
Church reaction was swift, and Galileo was summoned to Rome.