Galileo Galilei PartA

Galileo Galilei was an influential Italian scientist and an expert in

astronomy,

physics and

philosophy.

Early life

Galileo was born in Pisa, a city of Italy, in 1564. His father was a music teacher and a famous musician. Galileo was an excellent student and wanted to become a doctor.

Achievements

Later, however, he studied philosophy and mathematics and became a

professor of mathematics in 1592. He used scientific methods to do experiments. For example, he studied the speed of objects falling from the Leaning Tower of Pisa and proved that traditional beliefs were wrong.

In 1609, Galileo made many astronomical discoveries and became famous. He first heard of an invention of a telescope from Holland. Then he improved the design of the telescope and began to use it to view the

planets. He saw mountains and valleys on the

surface of the moon. He also saw sunspots and four largest moons of the planet Jupiter.

Imprisonment

In 1614, Galileo supported the Copernican theory and believed that the Sun was at the centre of the

solar system. Although everyone supports the theory today, it was a different idea at that time. The Church was powerful at that time and considered his idea as

heresy. He was even stopped from teaching these theories.

In 1632, he

published a book called "Dialogue Concerning the Two Chief World Systems" to explain the

arguments for and against the Copernican theory. He was accused of heresy by the Church again. He was sentenced to

life imprisonment and also forced to withdraw his support for the theory.

Death

When Galileo was under house arrest, he published another book "Two New Sciences" in 1638. He was named the "father of modern physics" because of this book. However, he went blind since then and died in 1642 at the age of 77.

Other information

The Copernican Theory is a theory introduced by a Polish astronomer called Nicolaus Copernicus. His study led to his theory that the Sun is the centre of the universe, and the planets orbit around it.

Suggested answers

Year: 1592

did experiments to test the traditional beliefs

During the time of Galileo, people studied the works of classical philosophers and believed them to be true. However, Galileo tested the principles by doing experiments.

One traditional belief was that if you dropped two items of different weights, the heavier would land first. Galileo tested the idea by going to the top of the Leaning Tower of Pisa. It was found that balls with different weights landed at the same time.

Year: 1609

improved the design of telescopes

Galileo heard of an invention from Holland called the telescope that enabled the user to see objects from far away. So he built his own telescope. He made improvements to the telescope and began to use it to see the planets.

Year: 1614

supported the Copernican theory

Copernicus was an astronomer who lived in the early 1500s. He came up with the idea that the Sun was the centre of the universe. However, most people thought that the Earth was the centre at that time. Galileo began to study Copernicus’ works and felt that his observations of the planets supported the view that the Sun was the centre.

Year: 1638

published the book "Two New Sciences"

Galileo promoted the ideas on the laws of motion and the principles of mechanics in the book. He was then named "father of modern physics".

Suggested answers

born in Italy His father was a music teacher and a famous musician. Galileo was an excellent student and wanted to become a doctor.
became a Mathematics professor He did experiments to test the speed of different objects that were dropped off from the Leaning Tower of Pisa. It disproved Aristotle’s theory that heavier objects would fall faster than lighter objects.
improved the telescope to study planets and stars He made many astronomical discoveries. He improved the design of the telescope and discovered the uneven surface of the moon.
supported the Copernican theory He supported the Copernican theory that the Sun was at the centre of the solar system. It was different from the view of most people at that time, who believed that the Earth was in the central position.
sentenced to life imprisonment He published a book called "Dialogue Concerning the Two Chief World Systems". He was sentenced to life imprisonment and forced to withdraw his support of the Copernican theory.
"Father of modern physics" He published another book called "Two New Sciences" under house arrest and soon went blind. He was named the "father of modern physics" because of this book.
died at the age of 77