Main Ideas
Galileo was a philosopher that critiqued many theories of his fellow philosophers and scientists. His main interests included that of astronomy and physics. In astronomy, he discovered Jupiter's four moons. His Law of falling bodies lead to changes in the study of motion, among other things. Through his trusted telescope he discovered the phases of the planet Venus. He proved that Venus went through a set of phases, just like the moon. Galileo's main discoveries and ideas revolve around astronomy, like his discovery of sun spots on the moon. This lead him to investigate the movement of said sun spots and finally discovered that the moon too might be rotating on its axis, which favoured the idea of a heliocentric Earth. In physics, another very important contribution included his idea of inertia. Galileo laid the founding steps in his theory of inertia. "Inertia is the tendency of matter to resist changes in its velocity". (Zonaland Education.Com) He created an abstract which was seen by many including Newton. Galileo's abstract was what Newton used to perfect his theory and which later became Newton's first law. Newton built upon the ideas of Galileo, theorizing that the laws of motion on the earth and in the universe were the same.
His contribution to physics and astronomy are to this very day recognized and studied. Some might even say that Galileo is the father of both modern day astronomy and physics.
Galileo was a philosopher that critiqued many theories of his fellow philosophers and scientists. His main interests included that of astronomy and physics. In astronomy, he discovered Jupiter's four moons. His Law of falling bodies lead to changes in the study of motion, among other things. Through his trusted telescope he discovered the phases of the planet Venus. He proved that Venus went through a set of phases, just like the moon. Galileo's main discoveries and ideas revolve around astronomy, like his discovery of sun spots on the moon. This lead him to investigate the movement of said sun spots and finally discovered that the moon too might be rotating on its axis, which favoured the idea of a heliocentric Earth. In physics, another very important contribution included his idea of inertia. Galileo laid the founding steps in his theory of inertia. "Inertia is the tendency of matter to resist changes in its velocity". (Zonaland Education.Com) He created an abstract which was seen by many including Newton. Galileo's abstract was what Newton used to perfect his theory and which later became Newton's first law. Newton built upon the ideas of Galileo, theorizing that the laws of motion on the earth and in the universe were the same.
His contribution to physics and astronomy are to this very day recognized and studied. Some might even say that Galileo is the father of both modern day astronomy and physics.