The Life and Work of Galileo

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The Life and Work of Galileo

Galileo Galilei is considered to be one of the greatest mathematicians of all time. He made life changing discoveries and mystified many with his knowledge. However, not all of his work was accepted well. Galileo challenged the church creating a controversy that will never be forgotten.

Galileo Galilei was born in Pisa, Italy February 18, 1564. He was the son of Vincenzo Galilei, a member of a Nobel family, a musician and a mathematician. Galileo, at an early age, developed a great love for mathematics and mechanics. However, his parents urged him to seek medical professions which promised more fortune. Galileo’s love for mathematics turned him away from his parents wishes only to follow his natural talents.

Before reaching the age of twenty, Galileo made a great observation of mechanics. He observed a swinging lamp in the cathedral of Pisa which led to his theory of the pendulum and fifty years later led to the construction of an astronomical clock. In 1588, he was given the title of the Archimedes of his time. He also received a position of lecture-ship at the University of Pisa. With this position, he began his research on free-fall and eventually proved that all objects in a vacuum would fall at the same rate of speed. This observation was contradictory to the previous beliefs that the rate of fall of an object was proportional to the object’s mass. The Aristoteleans refuted his findings, however, and remained faithful to their master’s discoveries.

By the influence of his friends, he received a position as the chair of mathematics at the University of Pisa. He remained there for eighteen years before returning to the original home of his family in Florence. There he was appointed math...

... middle of paper ...

...mple, in the Bible it says that God created the earth. Science merely attempts to decipher how it was done. Today, the truth about Galileo’s studies has received proper recognition, and it is understood that science is a reflection of reason, and reason a reflection of science.

Footnotes

1. The Catholic Encyclopedia. Online. Internet. 25 Sept 1999.

2. see Catholic Encyclopedia

3. Modern History Sourcebook: The Crime of Galileo: Indictment and Abjuration of 1633.

Online. Internet. 25 Sept. 1999.

4. see Catholic Encyclopedia

Bibliography

- Spangenburg, Ray and Diane K. Moser. The History of Science from the Ancient Greeks

to the Scientific Revolution. New York, New York: Facts on File, Inc., 1993

- Spangburg, Ray and Diane K. Moser. The History of Science in the Eighteenth Century.

New York, New York: Facts on File, Inc., 1993

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