Galileo Galilei (1564-1642)
Galileo's experiments into gravity refuted Aristotle Galileo was a hugely influential Italian astronomer, physicist and philosopher.
Galileo Galilei was born on 15 February 1564 near Pisa, the son of a musician. He began to study medicine at the University of Pisa but changed to philosophy and mathematics. In 1589, he became professor of mathematics at Pisa. In 1592, he moved to become mathematics professor at the University of Padua, a position he held until 1610. During this time he worked on a variety of experiments, including the speed at which different objects fall, mechanics and pendulums.
In 1609, Galileo heard about the invention of the telescope in Holland. Without having seen an example, he constructed a superior version and made many astronomical discoveries. These included mountains and valleys on the surface of the moon, sunspots, the four largest moons of the planet Jupiter and the phases of the planet Venus. His work on astronomy made him famous and he was appointed court mathematician in Florence.
In 1614, Galileo was accused of heresy for his support of the Copernican theory that the sun was at the centre of the solar system. This was revolutionary at a time when most people believed the Earth was in this central position. In 1616, he was forbidden by the church from teaching or advocating these theories.
In 1632, he was again condemned for heresy after his book 'Dialogue Concerning the Two Chief World Systems' was published. This set out the arguments for and against the Copernican theory in the form of a discussion between two men. Galileo was summoned to appear before the Inquisition in Rome. He was convicted and sentenced to life imprisonment, later reduced to permanent house arrest at his villa in Arcetri, south of Florence. He was also forced to publicly withdraw his support for Copernican theory.
Although he was now going blind he continued to write. In 1638, his 'Discourses Concerning Two New Sciences' was published with Galileo's ideas on the laws of motion and the principles of mechanics. Galileo died in Arcetri on 8 January 1642.
Showing posts with label Biographies. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Biographies. Show all posts
Thursday, 17 April 2008
Tuesday, 4 March 2008
Biography of Newton
Isaac Newton (1643 - 1727)
Sir Isaac Newton was an English physicist and mathematician and the greatest scientist of his era.
Isaac Newton was born on 4 January 1643 in Woolsthorpe, Lincolnshire. His father was a prosperous farmer, who died three months before Newton was born. His mother re-married and Newton was left in the care of his grandparents. In 1661, he went to Cambridge University where he became interested in mathematics, optics, physics and astronomy. In October 1665, a plague epidemic forced the university to close and Newton returned to Woolsthorpe. The two years he spent there were an extremely fruitful time during which he began to think about gravity, and also devoted time to optics and mathematics, working out his ideas about 'fluxions' (calculus).
In 1667, Newton returned to Cambridge, where he became a fellow of Trinity College. Two years later he was appointed second Lucasian Professor of Mathematics. It was Newton's reflecting telescope, made in 1668, that finally brought him to the attention of the scientific community and in 1672 he was made a Fellow of the Royal Society. From the mid-1660s, Newton conducted a series of experiments on the composition of light, discovering that white light is composed of the same system of colours that can be seen in a rainbow and establishing the modern study of optics (or the behaviour of light). In 1704 Newton published 'The Opticks' which dealt with light and colour. He also studied and published works on history, theology and alchemy.
However, in 1687, with the support of his friend the astronomer Edmond Halley, Newton published his single greatest work, the 'Philosophiae Naturalis Principia Mathematica' ('Mathematical Principles of Natural Philosophy'). This showed how a universal force, gravity, applied to all objects in all parts of the universe.
In 1689, Newton was elected MP for Cambridge University (1689 - 1690 and 1701 - 1702). In 1696 Newton was appointed warden of the Royal Mint, settling in London. He took his duties at the Mint very seriously and campaigned against corruption and inefficiency within the organisation. In 1703, he was elected president of the Royal Society, an office he held until his death. He was knighted in 1705.
Newton was a difficult man, prone to depression and often involved in bitter arguments with other scientists, but by the early 1700s he was the dominant figure in British and European science. He died on 31 March 1727 and was buried in Westminster Abbey.
Sir Isaac Newton was an English physicist and mathematician and the greatest scientist of his era.
Isaac Newton was born on 4 January 1643 in Woolsthorpe, Lincolnshire. His father was a prosperous farmer, who died three months before Newton was born. His mother re-married and Newton was left in the care of his grandparents. In 1661, he went to Cambridge University where he became interested in mathematics, optics, physics and astronomy. In October 1665, a plague epidemic forced the university to close and Newton returned to Woolsthorpe. The two years he spent there were an extremely fruitful time during which he began to think about gravity, and also devoted time to optics and mathematics, working out his ideas about 'fluxions' (calculus).
In 1667, Newton returned to Cambridge, where he became a fellow of Trinity College. Two years later he was appointed second Lucasian Professor of Mathematics. It was Newton's reflecting telescope, made in 1668, that finally brought him to the attention of the scientific community and in 1672 he was made a Fellow of the Royal Society. From the mid-1660s, Newton conducted a series of experiments on the composition of light, discovering that white light is composed of the same system of colours that can be seen in a rainbow and establishing the modern study of optics (or the behaviour of light). In 1704 Newton published 'The Opticks' which dealt with light and colour. He also studied and published works on history, theology and alchemy.
However, in 1687, with the support of his friend the astronomer Edmond Halley, Newton published his single greatest work, the 'Philosophiae Naturalis Principia Mathematica' ('Mathematical Principles of Natural Philosophy'). This showed how a universal force, gravity, applied to all objects in all parts of the universe.
In 1689, Newton was elected MP for Cambridge University (1689 - 1690 and 1701 - 1702). In 1696 Newton was appointed warden of the Royal Mint, settling in London. He took his duties at the Mint very seriously and campaigned against corruption and inefficiency within the organisation. In 1703, he was elected president of the Royal Society, an office he held until his death. He was knighted in 1705.
Newton was a difficult man, prone to depression and often involved in bitter arguments with other scientists, but by the early 1700s he was the dominant figure in British and European science. He died on 31 March 1727 and was buried in Westminster Abbey.
Friday, 25 January 2008
Biography of Albert Einstein
The German-born American physicist Albert Einstein (1879-1955) revolutionized the science of physics. He is best known for his theory of relativity.
-Born on on March 14, 1879, in Ulm
-Early Education in Munich
-He was unable to speak fluently at age 9
-Einstein mastered differential and integral calculus by age 16
-He passed his diploma examination at the FIT in 1900
-In 1902 he was engaged as a technical expert, third-class, in the patent office in Bern, Switzerland.
-He married Mileva Maric, a former classmate in Zurich. They had two sons.
-It was in Bern, too, that Einstein, at 26, completed the requirements for his doctoral degree and wrote the first of his revolutionary scientific papers.
-In 1913 the well-known scientists Max Planck and Walter Nernst traveled to Zurich to persuade Einstein to accept a lucrative research professorship at the University of Berlin, as well as full membership in the Prussian Academy of Science. He accepted their offer in 1914
-Einstein played a key role (1939) in mobilizing the resources necessary to construct the atomic bomb by signing a famous letter to President Franklin D. Roosevelt which had been drafted by Leo Szilard and E.P. Wigner. When Einstein's famous equation E =mc2 was finally demonstrated in the most awesome and terrifying way by using the bomb to destroy Hiroshima in 1945, Einstein, the pacifist and humanitarian, was deeply shocked and distressed; for a long time he could only utter "Horrible, horrible."
-On April 18, 1955, Einstein died in Princeton.
Contributions to physics
-it began in 1905 with three major results
1.The explanation of Brownian motion in terms of molecules
2.The explanation of the photoelectric effect in terms of the quantum
3.The special theory of relativity that links time to space and energy to matter.
From 1907 to 1915 Einstein developed general relativity, a theory of gravity more accurate than Newton's; it became the basis of theoretical cosmology. In failed efforts in the 1930s to refute the interpretation of quantum theory in terms of probability, Einstein contributed to the theoretical basis for what is sometimes called teleportation of photons (which Einstein called "spooky action at a distance"). His last major effort was an attempt to unify electromagnetism and gravity into a single unified field theory, still an active problem of physics.
Quotes:
"Perfection of means and confusion of goals seem -- in my opinion -- to characterize our age."
"One must not attempt to justify them, but rather to sense their nature simply and clearly."
"In the middle of difficulty lies opportunity."
"And the high destiny of the individual is to serve rather than to rule, or to impose himself in any other way."
"It should be possible to explain the laws of physics to a barmaid."
"Education is the progressive realization of our ignorance."
-Born on on March 14, 1879, in Ulm
-Early Education in Munich
-He was unable to speak fluently at age 9
-Einstein mastered differential and integral calculus by age 16
-He passed his diploma examination at the FIT in 1900
-In 1902 he was engaged as a technical expert, third-class, in the patent office in Bern, Switzerland.
-He married Mileva Maric, a former classmate in Zurich. They had two sons.
-It was in Bern, too, that Einstein, at 26, completed the requirements for his doctoral degree and wrote the first of his revolutionary scientific papers.
-In 1913 the well-known scientists Max Planck and Walter Nernst traveled to Zurich to persuade Einstein to accept a lucrative research professorship at the University of Berlin, as well as full membership in the Prussian Academy of Science. He accepted their offer in 1914
-Einstein played a key role (1939) in mobilizing the resources necessary to construct the atomic bomb by signing a famous letter to President Franklin D. Roosevelt which had been drafted by Leo Szilard and E.P. Wigner. When Einstein's famous equation E =mc2 was finally demonstrated in the most awesome and terrifying way by using the bomb to destroy Hiroshima in 1945, Einstein, the pacifist and humanitarian, was deeply shocked and distressed; for a long time he could only utter "Horrible, horrible."
-On April 18, 1955, Einstein died in Princeton.
Contributions to physics
-it began in 1905 with three major results
1.The explanation of Brownian motion in terms of molecules
2.The explanation of the photoelectric effect in terms of the quantum
3.The special theory of relativity that links time to space and energy to matter.
From 1907 to 1915 Einstein developed general relativity, a theory of gravity more accurate than Newton's; it became the basis of theoretical cosmology. In failed efforts in the 1930s to refute the interpretation of quantum theory in terms of probability, Einstein contributed to the theoretical basis for what is sometimes called teleportation of photons (which Einstein called "spooky action at a distance"). His last major effort was an attempt to unify electromagnetism and gravity into a single unified field theory, still an active problem of physics.
Quotes:
"Perfection of means and confusion of goals seem -- in my opinion -- to characterize our age."
"One must not attempt to justify them, but rather to sense their nature simply and clearly."
"In the middle of difficulty lies opportunity."
"And the high destiny of the individual is to serve rather than to rule, or to impose himself in any other way."
"It should be possible to explain the laws of physics to a barmaid."
"Education is the progressive realization of our ignorance."
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