Who was Galileo?
Galileo was an Italian physicist and astronomer credited with building the first effective telescope. He used this to prove that the earth moves round the sun. This confirmed the theory originally put forward by the Polish astronomer Nicholas Copernicus. But it went directly against the teachings of the Church i.e; the earth was the centre of the Universe and the Sun revolved round the Earth. It was this conflict with the teachings of the Church that was to eventually bring Galileo to the attention of the Inquisition. Galileo was born at Pisa in 1564 which was then part of the Grand Duchy of Tuscany, ruled by Cosimo de Medici. He was taught for the early part of his life by monks at Vallombrosa. At seventeen, he went on to the University of Pisa to read medicine, but disliked the course, which followed strictly the texts of Aristotle and Galen and his interest soon turned to philosophy and mathematics. He left university in 1585, with an interest in mathematics that was to remain with
Galileo Galilei (1564-1642) was a Tuscan (Italian) astronomer, physicist, mathematician, inventor, and philosopher. He was born in Pisa, and was the oldest of six children in his family. When he was a young man, his father sent him to study medicine at the University of Pisa, but Galileo studied mathematics instead. He later became professor and chair of mathematics at the University. Until about 1609 he taught mathematics, and made several discoveries in physics. He helped to mathematically describe ballistics, and the force of friction as it relates to motion. After experimenting with moving objects, he established his “Principle of Inertia”, which was similar to Newton’s First Law. Galileo then became interested in optics and astronomy, and in 1609 he built his first telescope and began making observations. The following year he published his first results, where he described the highlands and “seas” of the Moon, four of Jupiter’s largest moons, and many newly discovered stars. He a
Born in Pisa, Italy in 1564, Galileo was a great scientist, philosopher, and inventor. Galileo is widely regarded as the pioneer the scientific method. His work developed the foundational ideas for Newton’s laws. In referring to his dependence on Galileo’s work, Newton wrote, “If I have seen further it is by standing upon the shoulders of giants.” Galileo’s work consistently emphasized mathematical investigation. His way of thinking inspires us as engineers. Galileo was chosen to represent the community because he is a symbol of ingenuity, confidence, and hard work. He excelled in many different areas outside of science including music and art. He embodies personal, professional, and academic success.
