The Scientific Revolution & Concept of a Heliocentric Universe

Nicolas CopernicusGalileo GalileiFrancis Bacon

How did we get here?

II. Two Theories of the Universe

– A. The Geocentric Theory envisioned an earth-centered universe

1. This idea was made popular by Aristotle – 300’s BC

2. It was later supported by Ptolemy

Ptolemy of Alexandria

• Mathematician / geographer

• Greek descent• Alexandria• Almagest – 2nd

century AD

The Catholic Church supported the Geocentric Theory because it was consistent with religious doctrine that god had made the earth a special place in the universe

1. For almost 1,500 years, the Church supported almost all of Aristotle’s scientific theories as fact

Jigsaw Activity

• Gather in your groups• Read your documents• Discuss important themes• Complete your worksheets

Nicholas Copernicus• A. Copernicus was so fearful of being considered a heretic that he waited until the last year

of his life to publish his theory

1. However, his ideas spread despite Church condemnation and were eventually embraced by others

Johannes Kepler• Johannes KEPLER (1571-1630) an Austrian• He had already accepted the Copernican picture and tried

to use his superior data to see if it could fit better than the Ptolemaic theory.

Galileo• While he had already thought Copernicus' model was best Galileo felt this DATA had PROVEN it.

The Scientific method was championed by Francis Bacon1. He was an English writer who felt that scholars had

assumed Aristotle’s teachings to be truth without testing them

2. He emphasized the need for experimentation over simple observation in arriving at conclusions (scientific method)

How This All Fits Together

• Any questions?

Exit Ticket – Isaac Newton

• Next time: The Newtonian enlightenment–“K” – what do you know now?

–“W”- What do you want to know?• About the scientific Revolution?• How this lead to Newton’s Contributions?

–”L” - How will you go about learning this?

Resources

• www.chara.gsu.edu/~wiita/a1010heliocentric4.ppt

• faculty.rcc.edu/buenviaje/.../The%20Scientific%20Revolution.ppt

• www.encyclopediabritannica.com• Scientific Culture and the Making of the

Industrial West• By Margaret C. Jacob