LECTURE 7: GALILEO

Key Questions:








GALILEO GALILEI (1564-1642)

Brief biography:








THE TELESCOPE

A telescope does two things: Modern astronomical applications emphasize first capability.
Both capabilities important to Galileo, especially second.






GALILEO'S DISCOVERIES WITH TELESCOPE








IMPLICATIONS OF GALILEO'S DISCOVERIES

What do these results imply about validity of Copernican and Ptolemaic systems?








GALILEO'S CONTRIBUTIONS TO PHYSICS

Scorns authority (e.g., Aristotle).
Bases conclusions on thought experiments and real experiments.

Relativity and inertia:

Force and acceleration:

Evaluation:








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Updated: 2005 April 9[dhw]