Life and Inventions of Galileo Galilei - Article Example

Life and Inventions of Galileo Galilei When it comes to science discoveries and innovations, it is more than obvious that the name, Galileo Galilei does not pass by unnoticed. Galileo is regarded as a hero on the grounds of remarkable discoveries and contributions to other areas of life. Galilo is also regarded to as one of the founders of various scientific methodologies and his impact in the science world goes beyond the discoveries he made. In order to create an impact to the society, Galileo had to create an audience for his work and in doing so he created an ample ground for the later scientists like Newton. This paper will trace the life of Galileo Galilei and further explore the different discoveries and inventions made by him. To begin with, the life of this grate scientist was shaped in the normal way that most people undergo. Galileo was born on February 15th 1564 at a place known as Pisa in Italy and his parents were Vincenzo Galilei and Giulia Ammanat (Khan Academy 1). His parents were from a humble background and his father held a position in a civic office of the Duchy of Florence considering the fact that Italy was divided into small regions which were governed by hereditary dukes (Khan Academy 1). At the age of 10, Galileo and his parents shifted to Florence where he was educated in a convent and as a result, he was attracted to being a priest but his father encouraged him to study medicine at the University of Pisa in the later years. Interestingly, Galileo started showing up characteristics of becoming a scientist at an early age while still a student at the University of Pisa. According the University of California, Galileo was open and showed interest in various fields making him to knowledgeable of many aspects in the science field (1). Further, the university education in those days relied heavily on Aristotle’s philosophy and due to the curiosity and interest in learning more about the nature Galileo questioned and criticized some of the acceptable conclusions that formed the basis of education. For example, Galileo contradicted the Aristotle’s rule that suggested that the speed of falling items is proportional to their size (Khan Academy 1). In addition, Galileo was not choosy on specific profession and he was knowledgeable in medicine, mathematics, philosophy, theology, and geometry (University of California 1). Something worth noting is that Galileo also contributed to science by writing several books that stated his views on various subjects that he felt should be addressed. After completion of his university education, Galileo sought for and got a job as a mathematics teacher at the University of Pisa where he also wrote his first scientific paper to explain ‘floating’ of substances on water (Khan Academy 1). Years later, Galileo sought for a job with better payment and was employed at the University of Padua as a leader in the mathematics department. In addition, the great scientist also made extra earnings from public lectures he made at Florence and Siena (Cambridge University 18). Other written works by Galileo include La Balancitta a book that explained various aspects of gravitational forces and De Motu,that explained the principles of motion. Of much importance, Galileo performed several experiments from which he drew his remarkable views and conclusions. To start with, Galileo performed the Inclined plane experiments that helped him to draw conclusions that contradicted to those of Aristotle. According to Aristotle, the speed of falling objects is directly proportional to their size, a view that Galileo disapproved using his experiments. The inclined plane experiment helped Galileo to make accurate observations on the effect of gravity on falling objects. On this experiment, Galileo used the inclined planes at different angles since they helped him to observe the speed of a falling ball manageably. In addition, he recorded the distance covered against the number of drops of water that were collected inside a jar (McMurry University 1). By altering the angle of inclined planes, Galileo was able to observe the effect of gravity was reduced or constant at low angle inclination and this led to his postulates about motion. He further incorporated mathematics into the idea of moving objects where he observed that distance covered by a rolling ball on the inclined plane was equal to the square of the drops collected in a jar. On the other hand, Galileo was also involved in astronomical observations and was viewed to support Copernican opinion as opposed to Aristotle views something that did not go well with the church as well as the authority. According to Famous Scientists Organization, the Copernican system suggested that sun was at the center of the Universe and that all the other planets revolved around it (1). Considering the Aristotelian system, the earth was believed to be the center of the universe and that all the other bodies including the sun, moon and other planets revolved around the earth an idea that was supported by several institutions including the church. Categorically, the Copernican and Aristotelian systems were viewed to be ‘mathematical’ and ‘philosophical’ astronomy respectively where the former was based on provable evidence and the later was much about intelligent views (Swerdlow 2). From several observations about the Universe made by Galileo, he published a book by the name Dialogue Concerning the Two Chief World System in which he largely supported the Copernican system. As a result, Galileo was condemned by the Catholic Church and was reprimanded to change his stand about the Copernican system something he did not do and was later arrested and charged for being heretic leading to his life imprisonment (Famous Scientists Organization 1). Another significant invention done by Galileo was the introduction of advanced telescope that he used to observe the universe more accurately. Being a curious and adventurous scientist, Galileo was very keen about remarkable developments done by other scientists and was quick to observe them in order to either make suggestions or develop his improved version of the same. According to University of California, the invention of spyglass in 1608 by Hans Lippershey from Holland made Galileo to gain interest in making his own better version (1). The initial telescope had several limitations and would expand objects at a low magnification capacity probably of not more than five times. As a result, Galileo got an opportunity to advance the invention to a better telescope that could offer a magnification capacity of up to ten times. Galileo did not stop at that but instead continued to advance his own telescope and later achieved even higher magnifications of more than 20 times. In this period, the telescopes also played an important role in observation made in astronomy. This is because some of the solid evidences used to negate the Aristotelian systems were clearly visible using a high magnification telescope (Swerdlow 9). Galileo also made an additional discovery of proportional compass that was of great use in other areas. The compass was utilized in solving problems in trigonometry, multiplication, division, and also direct application such as currency conversion. The compass was made up of two pieces of wood that were joined together using a hinge to facilitate easy adjustment. Further, various scales were written on the two pieces of wood so that conversions involving some mathematical calculations could be easily done by making observations on the compass readings. According to the University of California, the compass was of great use for people who developed cannonballs used to make artillery (2). During the period of discovery of the compass, guns were made to use bullets that had same dimensions despite being made from different materials that conferred the difference in weight for different bullets. This was definitely a shortcoming especially to the soldiers because it was not easy to have uniform results when using the different bullets. Therefore, the gun manufacturers were relieved from making inaccurate estimates when making bullets by using analytical results offered by the compass. In this note, the gun manufacturers were able to determine the right quantity of gun powder depending on the density of material used to make a bullet (University of California 2). In addition, the compass was also used to make monetary computations by merchants and other traders. Unfortunately, Galileo was also faced by serious health conditions in his life time. At the age of 72 years, Galileo became totally blind and could not do his favorite observations anymore. According to the Famous Scientists Organization, his blindness has been greatly associated to the use of telescope while making observations on the universe (1). However, the organization further states that Galileo’s blindness resulted from cataract and glaucoma conditions that cause opacity in eye lens and vision loss from infection of the eye respectively (1). Apart from blindness, Galileo was also diagnosed with other diseases like “hernia, heart palpitations, and insomnia” (Khan Academy 1). However, despite being a blind man, Galileo continued to work but his work was more of advisory roles rather than actual physical participation. Khan Academy further states that Galileo died in the 1642 at the age of 72 years and was buried in Basilica of Santa Croce. In conclusion, Galileo Galilei was a great personality who made early impact in several areas that are important to the current world. His great inventions laid a platform on which modern scientists are able base their ideas. Further, his contributions particularly in the astronomy field shape the current views held by scientists and have led to greater inventions like production of rockets that are used to explore the universe especially the moon. Works Cited Cambridge University. The Cambridge Companion to Galileo. 2006. Web. 16 April < http://worldtracker.org/media/library/Sociology/Philosophy%20-%20The%20Cambridge%20Companion%20Series/The%20Cambridge%20Companion%20to%20Galileo.pdf >. Famous Scientists Organization. Galileo Galilei. n.d. Web. 16 April < http://www.famousscientists.org/galileo-galilei/>. Khan Academy. Galileo Galilei. n.d. Web. 16 April< https://www.khanacademy.org/partner-content/big-history-project/big-bang/bhp-how-universe-change/a/galileo-galilei>. McMurry University. Galileo and the Mathematics of Motion. n.d. Web. 16 April < http://www.mcm.edu/academic/galileo/ars/arshtml/mathofmotion1.html>. Swerdlow, N.M. Galileo’s Contribution to Astronomy and Conflicts with the Church. n.d. Web. 16 April < http://jzbuchwald.caltech.edu/Course,%20Babylon%20through%20Ren/PDFs/PDF%208A.pdf > . University of California. Galileo – The Establisher of Modern Science. n.d. Web. 16 April< http://undsci.berkeley.edu/teaching/galileo.pdf>. Read More