Most people followed Aristotle, the Greek philosopher, who said heavier objects fall more quickly to the ground when dropped from a height. ● Galileo disproved this – instead he said all objects fell to the ground at the same speed.
3 The pendulum clock
Aristotle also claimed that when a pendulum swings a long swing would take longer than a short swing. ● Galileo proved through experiments that longer swings took the same time as shorter swings. His discovery led to the development of pendulum clocks.
4 The telescope
Galileo heard about a telescope developed in Flanders. He then invented his own. He used the telescope to study the surface of the Moon. He also discovered the rings around Saturn but he did not realise what they were. He also discovered four moons around Jupiter.
5 Astronomy
Galileo used his study of the planets to support Copernicus’ views about the universe. He published his views in Dialogue Concerning the Two Chief World Systems. This got him into trouble with the Catholic Church. ● Galileo was brought before the Inquisition, a Church court, and forced to say publicly that the sun was not the centre of the universe.
● He was also sentenced to house arrest for the rest of his life. The Catholic Church banned his book, and this ban was not lifted for over 200 years.
Assessing Your Learning
1. What did Ancient Greeks and Romans believe about the universe? 2. What did Copernicus say about the movement of Earth?
3. How did Kepler agree and disagree with the views of Copernicus on the movements of the Earth?
4. Where did Galileo teach? 5. What was the ‘scientific method’? 6. Why did the Catholic Church ban Galileo’s book? 7. What did Galileo contribute to Renaissance science?