heliocentric theory
the scientific theory that the earth moved about the sun(was
only a minority view because it contradicts both common sense and
observed data)
Nicolaus Copernicus
A German merchant who became a cathedral canon and studied
astronomy he came up with the heliocentric theory (that the
earth travelled around the sun) his studies/theories helped
establish a new Gregorian calendar
Tycho Brahe
the first post-Ptolemaic astronomer attention to
precision and frequency of observation produced results that were
twice as accurate as any previous data had been discovered
that the planets did rotate around the sun but not the earth
Johannes Kepler
was trained by Brahe used his strengths in mathematics
to discover new things about astronomy (1) planets follow
elliptical not circular orbits (2) established the rate of planet�s
motion around its orbital path (3) the distance of each planet from
the sun and the time it takes for each planet to orbit the sun are
in constant ratio mathematically confirmed Copernican
heliocentric hypothesis
Galileo Galilei
provided compelling new evidence to support Copernican
theory contributed to the development of a new physics
the study of inertia, uniform motion is as natural as a state of
rest, motion was naturally circular also perfected the
basic telescope (first astronomically useful instrument)
Ren� Descartes
a Frenchman who created the first fully articulated alternative
worldview matter is made up of identical bits
(corpuscles)�the different appearances and behaviors of matter could
be explained solely by the size,shape, and motion of these
corpuscles. he also stated that God was the guarantor of
human reasoning, capacity, and humans were distinguished by that
capacity
mechanistic worldview
in chemistry the mechanistic assumption that al matter was
composed of small, equivalent parts was crucial to understanding the
properties and behaviors of compounds
Francis Bacon
lord chancellor of England during the reign of James I
wrote a utopian essay extolling the benefits of science for a
peaceful society and for human happiness he argues science
will produce things of use and practice for man�s life he
did not undertake any experiments himself but his widely read works
were very influential on those who did
geocentric theory
A Geocentric theory is an astronomical theory which describes
the universe as a Geocentric system, i.e., a system which puts the
Earth in the center of the universe, and describes other objects
from the point of view of the Earth.
empirical method
relying on observations and experiments and inductive reasoning
(deriving general principals from particular facts)�this method was
created based on Bacon�s studies/theories