primary...galileo galilei (1564 - 1642)
Galileo (say ‘gal-lil-lay-oh’) was one of the greatest thinkers of all time. He was born in 1564, in Pisa, Italy. He was interested in how heavy and light objects fall to the ground…
Dear Dr Whatsit: "I have a rather embarrassing dilemma. I just can’t seem to stop dropping things! The other day, for example, I was at the top of the Leaning Tower of Pisa and before I knew it, I had dropped two cannon balls of different weights over the side. I was lucky there was only one person standing underneath. Please help me overcome my clumsiness.
Galileo Galilei
Dr Whatsit says:"Ah, yes! I know this story. The two cannon balls reached the ground at the same time. You proved that when objects of different weights are dropped at the same height and time, they take the same amount of time to fall to the ground. My advice is to stay indoors and to make sure that I’m not standing underneath the Leaning Tower when you next visit as I’ve still got a thumping headache!"
TRY!
Try Galileo’s experiment for yourself with a ping-pong ball and a piece of plasticine rolled into the same shape and size. Remember to drop the balls at the same time and from the same height.
get into the swing!
Galileo attended the University of Pisa. He would get very angry with his teachers when they tried to make him believe ideas without proving them first.
here’s a question for you:
Why can’t you hear anything at all when you stand on your head?
a
Because sound cannot enter your ears when you are upside down.
b
Because your brain is confused.
c
Hang on a minute, I’ll just go and see!
If you answered a) or b) then you’re wrong! But if you answered c) then you’re starting to think like Galileo. He believed that you should always test ideas to prove whether they are right or wrong. This way of doing things marked the beginning of modern science.
It was at University that Galileo really started to get into the swing of things and he began to experiment with pendulums.
It is believed that some years later Galileo noticed a lamp swinging from the ceiling inside Pisa Cathedral, which got him thinking…
Galileo wondered what determines how fast a pendulum swings. Is it the length of the string, the weight of what is attached or the size of the swing?
TRY!
Attach a piece of plasticine to the end of a 10cm piece of string. Use sticky tape to fix the string to the edge of a table. Ask a friend to start the swing by holding the plasticine horizontally. When your friend lets go, record how long it takes to make eight swings with a stopwatch (or a clock with a second-hand).
Ask your friend to start the swing at a lower position. Time eight swings. What happens now? Try several different positions. Now use different sized plasticine balls. Lastly use different lengths of string.
what happens?
You should notice that your friend is completely under your power. He or she will obey your every command! Ask them to act like a gorilla…
NO, SERIOUSLY! Galileo discovered that the rate at which a pendulum swings depends on its length rather the distance through which it swings or the weight of what is attached. This discovery later led to the development of pendulum clocks.
look to the stars
Galileo’s most famous invention was the telescope. He heard that a telescope had been invented in Holland that could magnify objects three times bigger. He decided to make one too, but the telescope Galileo made could magnify objects twenty times bigger.
With this telescope he saw mountains on the Moon, he discovered the satellites of Jupiter and discovered that the Milky Way was made up of thousands of tiny stars. One of his discoveries got him into trouble with the Catholic Church…
The Catholic Church firmly believes that the Sun and all other planets revolve around the Earth. But it has come to our attention that Galileo Galilei claims that the Earth and all the planets travel around the Sun. He is to be put under House Arrest and will not be allowed to leave his home for the rest of his life. He will not be allowed to publish any more of his silly ideas.
Of course, his discovery was true. After Galileo’s death in 1642, his students continued his work by publishing his ideas and beliefs. Galileo was finally pardoned by the Catholic Church 342 years later.
<< Go Back