Science
has changed greatly from ancient observations of the stars to modern
neuroscience about the human brain. Humankind has learned some great things
from science. The human quest for knowledge has led our species on a long,
hard, and sometimes dangerous path. But the quest for knowledge has made us one
of the smartest animals ever to live. I am going to tell you how science got
from forming a number system, to the theories to cure deadly illnesses in a
hospital.
One
period in time in the 17th century, some great scientific discoveries were
made. The scientific revolution is called so because it was a revolution in
human understanding about the physical universe. Some of these
discoveries include the scientific method and a heliocentric model of the solar
system. Algebraic expressions such as x,y,z,a,b,c were invented. The
scientific revolution was one of the most unique revolutions of human history.
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| Copernican drawing of the solar system |
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| A diagram showing Kepler's first law |
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| A diagram showing Kepler's second law |
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| A diagram showing Kepler's third law |
One
of the greatest debates of the time was whether the solar system was geocentric
(Earth centered) or heliocentric (sun centered). It was long thought that the
Earth was the center of the of the solar system. It was not until 1514 when the
Polish scientist Nicholas Copernicus wrote Commentariolus, a book containing
his theories on heliocentrics. Copernicus faced torture by the church for his
radical ideas. So he delayed publishing Commentariolus until his death in 1543.
Another
scientist who believed in heliocentrics was Johannes Kepler. He was a student
of Tycho Brahe who is credited with some of the greatest scientific discoveries
of his time. Kepler however, did not believe in Brahe’s geocentric theories of
the solar system. Kepler believed in the theory of Nicholas Copernicus. However
Copernicus incorrectly assumed that the orbits of the planets were circular.
Kepler came up with three laws of planetary motion.
Kepler’s
first law: The orbit
of every planet is an ellipse with the Sun at
one of the two foci.
Kepler’s
second law: A line
joining a planet and the Sun sweeps out equal areas during equal intervals of
time.
Kepler’s
third law: The square
of the orbital
period of a planet is directly proportional
to the cube
of the semi-major
axis of its orbit.
One of the last scientists of this
revolution to believe in heliocentrics was Galileo Galilei. He was the first to
produce scientific evidence for the heliocentric theory of Copernicus. Galileo
placed the sun at the center of the solar system with the planets including
earth orbiting around it. The Catholic Church condemned heliocentric theories
of the universe. Believing that mankind and Earth should be the center of all
things. Galileo was put on trial for his theories and was put under house
arrest.
Today,
many of these theories are still used in modern science. Kepler’s laws are
often consulted by modern scientists when debating theories. I am truly amazed
by the discoveries of these scientists. They thought of great things without
any modern technology. They had only basic, tabletop telescopes and no robots
or probes roaming in space. Their minds were their only calculators and their
telescopes were their only eyes into the world beyond our own.
In
conclusion, heliocentrics evolved over several years and several scientists. We
now understand and have mapped the solar system according to these observation.
If these scientists were able to forward themselves in time a couple hundred
years, they would be amazed at modern technology. But they would notice that
their basic principals are still used in modern science. These very principles
are taught to kids like me today. The debate about heliocentrics in our solar
system may be complete, but who knows? Maybe there is another solar system out
there, waiting to be discovered. So grab your telescopes, and get ready to
examine the sky for whatever is out there in the vast blackness that is, our
universe.
Sources
"Kepler's Laws of Planetary Motion." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, n.d. Web. 10 Feb. 2013. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kepler's_laws_of_planetary_motion>.
Fortey, Jacqueline. Great Scientists. London: DK, 2007. Print.
http://www.hps.cam.ac.uk/starry/copernicuslrg.jpg
http://www.astronomynotes.com/solarsys/planmass.gif
http://www.gravitywarpdrive.com/NGFT_Images/Kepler_2nd_Law.gif
http://m.teachastronomy.com/astropediaimages/2000px-Kepler-first-law.svg.png
Sources
"Kepler's Laws of Planetary Motion." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, n.d. Web. 10 Feb. 2013. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kepler's_laws_of_planetary_motion>.
Fortey, Jacqueline. Great Scientists. London: DK, 2007. Print.
http://www.hps.cam.ac.uk/starry/copernicuslrg.jpg
http://www.astronomynotes.com/solarsys/planmass.gif
http://www.gravitywarpdrive.com/NGFT_Images/Kepler_2nd_Law.gif
http://m.teachastronomy.com/astropediaimages/2000px-Kepler-first-law.svg.png
