The Scientific Revolution

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The Scientific Revolution

• 1540 1700 AD

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What is science?

• Science as we know it (modern science) did not
  exist until the 16th and 17th centuries.
• Science is a way to gain knowledge about the
  world.
• The word science comes from Latin and means
  knowledge or understanding.

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What is science? (cont.)

• Science starts with observation.
• By observing the world, scientists identify
  facts.
• Scientists use logic to develop explanations of
  the facts they have observed. These explanations
  are called theories.
• Experiments are used to test theories.
  Experiments can either support or disprove
  theories.
• These ideas observation, facts and theories make
  up modern science.

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Before Modern Science The Greek Thinkers

• The ancient Greeks developed theories about how
  the world worked.
• Some of these theories are now considered
  scientific (based on facts, observation, and
  logical conclusion).
• Some great Greek thinkers are called
  rationalists because their theories are based
  on rational (reasonable and logical) methods of
  thinking.

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Great Greek Rationalists

• Aristotle taught that people should observe the
  world carefully and draw logical conclusions
  about what they see. (This is the foundation of
  modern science.)
• Ptolemy used observation to create theories of
  astronomy and create maps (geography).
• Euclid discovered mathematical laws. He is
  considered the father of geometry.
• Pythagoras is most famous for his geometry
  theorem. He worked in the area of math, but made
  many contributions in music and philosophy.

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Before Modern Science The Middle Ages

• In the Middle Ages, few Europeans were educated.
  Most of these were church trained and the focus
  of their education was religious.
• These educated few formed their understanding of
  the world from the teachings of two main sources
• Ancient Greek writers
• The Catholic Church
• Non-Europeans also helped to preserve ancient
  Greek writings. Muslim scholars translated the
  works into Arabic and taught them in their
  universities.

7
The Renaissance triggered the Scientific
Revolution.

• Renaissance thinkers were very interested in
  classical writings of the Greeks and Romans.
• Humanists artists and writers spent much of their
  time studying the natural world.

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Many advances were made during the Scientific
Revolution.

• Astronomy
• Geography
• Mechanics
• Physics
• Inventions
• Reason