西方文明简史_14.pptVIP

Scientific Revolution LECTURE ⅩⅢ The New Science Modern science emerged in the 17th century. Characteristics: Emphasis on experimentation and empirical observation Laws of science expressed in mathematical equations Authorities to be overthrown: Ptolemy, Aristotle, and Galen. Revolution in Astronomy Geocentric conception of the universe /wiki/File:Ptolemaicsystem-small.png The geocentric view of the universe was in harmony with Christian thought. Copernicus Copernicus believed, like Aristotle, that the simplest explanations were the best. He proposed a heliocentric conception. He maintained that the planets moved around the sun in circular orbits. He published On the Revolution of the Heavenly Spheres in 1543, shortly before his death. Kepler Kepler demonstrated laws of planetary motion: The orbit of every planet is an ellipse with the Sun at one of the two foci. A line joining a planet and the Sun sweeps out equal areas during equal intervals of time. The square of the orbital period of a planet is directly proportional to the cube of the semi-major axis of its orbit. Galileo The first European to make systematic observations of the heavens with a telescope. His observation revealed that the heavens were not made of an ethereal substance. His works: The Starry Messenger, A Dialogue between the Two Great Systems of the World He was forced by the Inquisition to recant his ideas in 1633. Galileo’s observations and Kepler’s mathematical laws completely destroyed the Ptolemaic system of the world. Newton He offered an explanation of motion in the universe. In Mathematical Principles of Natural Philosophy (1687), he explained, mathematically, motion in the universe with the law of universal gravitation. The three laws of motion: Objects that are at rest or in uniform linear motion remain in such a state unless acted on by an external force; Changes in motion are proportional to force For every action there is an equal and opposite reaction. Newton His theories create