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History of Science

Brief History of Modern Science

• Discovery ­ A new method of acquiring knowledge was 
invented by a series of European thinkers from 1550 to 
1700.  Among these thinkers are Galileo, Descartes, 
Kepler, and Newton

• Definition of Science­ A special method and 
knowledge executed by practitioners of science called 
scientists.
Meaning of Science
• Science is practiced by specially trained people with a 
specific world view.  Scientists try to be objective, non­
sentimental, unemotional, honest, and unbiased
• Scientists work in laboratories where conditions are 
carefully controlled.
• Scientists report their findings in peer­reviewed journals to 
other scientists
• Scientists do not claim more than what they can prove
External World
• Science deals with things or objects in the external 
world.  External world is anything that can be 
measured and described in mathematical terms
• The external world the scientist believes follows 
rules of mathematics.
• The external world contains solar systems, 
galaxies, quanta, quarks, quasars, four forces, six 
lepton, six lepton and six hadrons
Science Language
• Scientists describe the results of controlled 
experiments in a specialized language and/or in 
mathematics.
• Is the external world understandable because our 
brains conform to the external world or because 
the external world is essentially mathematical in 
nature as is the human mind?
Philosophical Foundations of Science 
Originated in the 17th century
• Science removed animism as a physical 
explanation. Greek philosophers thought 
movement was a sign of life.  Planets were moved 
by angels. Newton’s 1st law of motion changed 
this attitude.
• Science changed man’s position from the center of 
the universe to its periphery.  Man’s place in the 
universe was seen as minor. 
• Scientific achievement revived human pride in 
place of an obsession with sin.
Aristotelian Science
     
                      Theory of Matter
Matter stuff out of which things are made
In sublunary world (below the moon) there
are four elements or essences: 
                 earth, water, air, and fire.
These four elements never found pure always mixed.
Heavy things made out of earth
Light things made mix of water,air, and fire
Aristotelian Science
• Above sun, planets are stars imbedded in  
the crystalline sphere
• The crystalline sphere made out of pure 
quintessence ( 5th essence)
• Different laws pertain to the sublunary 
world than to the world above the moon
Aristotelian Science
•                             Motion
• Natural state of all sublunary things is rest
• All objects seek rest
• Earth, Air, and water seek down for rest
• Fire seek rest upward
• Bodies seek the grave, the souls seek 
heaven
Aristotelian Science
                                 Motion
• Two kinds of motion ­­ violent and natural
• Things move because they’re pulled or pushed
• Sun, planets, and stars move  in uniform, circular 
motion
• Circles are ideal and circular motion is an aspect 
of quintessence.
• Earth is at center of Universe
Aristotelian Science
•                      Violent Motion
• A projectile exhibits violent motion 
• Question: why does an object keep moving 
after leaving the bow or hand?
• Answer: air moves from the front of the 
object to the back and pushes the object 
along.
Aristotelian Science 
Violent Motion
Archimedes (287-212
BCE )
Sicilian geometrician who
calculated an accurate value for
π, demonstrated the
relationship between the
volume of spheres and
cylinders, discovered methods
for determining the center of
gravity of plane figures, and
provided a foundation for the
science of hydrostatics.
Archimedes also invented many
ingenious machines, including a
pump for raising water,
effective levers and compound
pulleys, and a mechanical
planetarium. He died defending
Syracuse against a Roman
siege during the second Punic
war.
Ptolemy & Epicycles
 more accurate measurement required more 
epicycles

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Thomas Aquinas (1224-1274 )

• Although matters of such


importance should be accepted on
the basis of divine revelation alone,
Aquinas held, it is at least possible
(and perhaps even desirable) in
some circumstances to achieve
genuine knowledge of them by
means of the rigorous application of
human reason. As embodied souls
• (hylomorphic composites), human
beings naturally rely on sensory
information for their knowledge of
the world. Reading hint: Although
the rigidly formal structure of the
Summa articles can be rather
confusing to a modern reader, the
central portion beginning with the
words, " I answer that ..." is always
a direct statement of Aquinas's own
position.
Roger Bacon

• Bacon, Roger (1214-1292 )English


philosopher who translated many
Aristotelian treatises from Arabic
into Latin. Although passionately
interested in alchemy and magic,
Roger defended reliance upon
mathematics and experimental
methods for the improvement of
human knowledge generally and
theological understanding in
particular in the Opus Maius
(Greater Work ) (1267) { at
Amazon.com } and On Experimental
Science (1268). His novel
educational doctrines were
supposed to violate the
condemnation of 1277 , and much
of Roger's later work, including the
Compendium Studii Theologiae
(1292) was suppressed.
William of Ockham,

• William of Ockham
• (1285-1349 )English philosopher
who defended the logic, physics,
and metaphysics of Aristotle in
Summa Logicae (The Whole of Logic
) (1328) vol. 1 { at Amazon.com }
and vol. 2 { at Amazon.com } and
the Dialogus . An extreme
nominalist , Ockham held that
general terms are signs that
indefinitely signify discrete (though
similar) particulars. Ockham is best
known for his statement of the law
of parsimony as the ontological
principle often called Ockham's
Razor : " Frustra fit per plura quod
potest fieri per pauciora " ["It is
pointless to do with more what can
be done with less"]. Thus, according
to Ockham, we ought never to
postulate the reality of any entity
unless it is logically necessary to do
so.
Copernicus b. 1473 Poland
• Polish astronomer who developed the theory that 
the earth is a moving planet. In Copernicus's time, 
most astronomers accepted the theory the Greek 
astronomer Ptolemy had formulated nearly 1,400 
years earlier. 
• Some astronomers before Ptolemy had suggested 
that the earth did in fact move. Copernicus 
decided that the simplest and most systematic 
explanation of heavenly motion required that 
every planet, including the earth, revolve around 
the sun. The earth also had to spin around its axis 
once every day. The earth's motion affects what 
people see in the heavens, so real motions must be 
separated from apparent ones. 
• Copernicus skillfully applied this idea in his 
masterpiece, On the Revolutions of the Heavenly 
Spheres (1543). In this book, he demonstrated 
how the earth's motion could be used to explain 
the movements of other heavenly bodies. 
Copernicus could not prove his theory, but his 
explanation of heavenly motion was 
mathematically strong and was less complicated 
than Ptolemy's theory. By the early 1600's, such 
astronomers as Galileo in Italy and Johannes 
Kepler in Germany began to develop the physics 
that would prove Copernicus' theory correct.
A 1543 volume by
Copernicus
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reserved. World Book illustration by Rob Wood
Tycho Brahe b. 1546
• Danish astronomer. Brahe developed a systematic approach for observing the planets and stars. He 
stressed the importance of making such observations on a regular basis. The telescope had not yet 
been invented, and so Brahe used his eyesight and such instruments as astrolabes and quadrants to 
estimate the positions of celestial objects. His observations were far more precise than those of any 
earlier astronomer. 

• Brahe's observations of planetary motion revealed that the tables then in use to predict the positions 
of the planets were inaccurate. His sighting of a supernova (type of exploding star) in 1572 helped 
disprove the ancient idea that no change could occur in the heavens beyond the orbit of the moon. 

• Like many astronomers of his time, Brahe refused to accept the Copernican theory of the solar 
system. According to this theory, the earth and the other planets move around the sun. Brahe 
reasoned that if the earth revolved around the sun, he should have been able to measure changes in 
the positions of the stars resulting from the earth's movement. He did not realize that such changes 
were too small for his instruments to detect. However, Brahe's observational data later enabled 
Johannes Kepler, a German astronomer and mathematician, to confirm the Copernican theory. 

• Brahe was born in Knudstrup (then a Danish city but now in Sweden), near Malmo. As a member of 
the nobility, he attended universities in Denmark, Germany, and Switzerland. Brahe built an 
elaborate observatory on the island of Hven (now called Ven), where he made many of his 
observations.  
Tycho Brahe b. 1546
• Danish astronomer. Brahe developed a 
systematic approach for observing the planets 
and stars. He stressed the importance of 
making such observations on a regular basis. 
The telescope had not yet been invented, and 
so Brahe used his eyesight and such 
instruments as astrolabes and quadrants to 
estimate the positions of celestial objects. His 
observations were far more precise than those 
of any earlier astronomer. 

• Brahe's observations of planetary motion 
revealed that the tables then in use to predict 
the positions of the planets were inaccurate. 
His sighting of a supernova (type of 
exploding star) in 1572 helped disprove the 
ancient idea that no change could occur in the 
heavens beyond the orbit of the moon. 
Tycho Brahe b. 1546

• Like many astronomers of his time, Brahe 
refused to accept the Copernican theory of 
the solar system. According to this theory, 
the earth and the other planets move around 
the sun. Brahe reasoned that if the earth 
revolved around the sun, he should have been 
able to measure changes in the positions of 
the stars resulting from the earth's movement. 
He did not realize that such changes were too 
small for his instruments to detect. However, 
Brahe's observational data later enabled 
Johannes Kepler, a German astronomer and 
mathematician, to confirm the Copernican 
theory. 
• Brahe was born in Knudstrup (then a Danish 
city but now in Sweden), near Malmo. As a 
member of the nobility, he attended 
universities in Denmark, Germany, and 
Switzerland. Brahe built an elaborate 
observatory on the island of Hven (now 
called Ven), where he made many of his 
observations. 
Tycho Brahe (1546-1601)
Johannes Kepler b. 1571
• Discovered three laws of planetary motion. 

• Newton later used Kepler's three laws to arrive at the principle of universal gravitation 
• Kepler's laws are:
(1) Every planet follows an oval­shaped path, or orbit, around the sun, called an ellipse. The sun is 
located at one focus of the elliptical orbit. 
(2) An imaginary line from the center of the sun to the center of a planet sweeps out the same area in 
a given time. This means that planets move faster when they are closer to the sun. 
(3) The time taken by a planet to make one complete trip around the sun is its period. The squares of 
the periods of two planets are proportional to the cubes of their mean distances from the sun. 

• Kepler formed an association with Tycho Brahe, which shaped the rest of his life. 
His most significant discoveries were trying to find an orbit to fit all Brahe's observations of the 
planet Mars. Earlier astronomers thought a planet's orbit was a circle or a combination of circles. 
However, Kepler could not find a circular arrangement to agree with Brahe's observations. He 
realized that the orbit could not be circular and resorted to an ellipse in his calculations. The ellipse 
worked, and Kepler destroyed a belief that was more than 2,000 years old. 

• Kepler was the first astronomer to openly uphold the theories of the Polish astronomer Nicolaus 
Copernicus. 
Johannes Kepler b. 1571

• Discovered three laws of planetary motion. 

• Newton later used Kepler's three laws to 
arrive at the principle of universal gravitation 
• Kepler's laws are:
(1) Every planet follows an oval­shaped path, 
or orbit, around the sun, called an ellipse. 
The sun is located at one focus of the 
elliptical orbit. 
(2) An imaginary line from the center of the 
sun to the center of a planet sweeps out the 
same area in a given time. This means that 
planets move faster when they are closer to 
the sun. 
(3) The time taken by a planet to make one 
complete trip around the sun is its period. 
The squares of the periods of two planets are 
proportional to the cubes of their mean 
distances from the sun.
Johannes Kepler b. 1571

• Kepler formed an association with Tycho 
Brahe, which shaped the rest of his life. 
His most significant discoveries trying to 
find an orbit to fit all Brahe's observations of 
the planet Mars. Earlier astronomers thought 
a planet's orbit was a circle or a combination 
of circles. However, Kepler could not find a 
circular arrangement to agree with Brahe's 
observations. He realized that the orbit could 
not be circular and resorted to an ellipse in 
his calculations. The ellipse worked, and 
Kepler destroyed a belief that was more than 
2,000 years old. 

• Kepler was the first astronomer to openly 
uphold the theories of the Polish astronomer 
Nicolaus Copernicus. 
Johannes Kepler b. 1571

FIRST LAW
• The orbits of the planets are
ellipses, with the Sun at one
focus of the ellipse.
Johannes Kepler b. 1571

SECOND LAW
• The line joining the planet to
the Sun sweeps out equal
areas in equal times as the
planet travels around the el
Johannes Kepler b. 1571

THIRD LAW
• The ratio of the squares of
the revolutionary periods for
two planets is equal to the
ratio of the cubes of their
semi-major axes:
Paracelsus (Phillippus Aureolus Theophrastus Bombastus
von Hohenheim) ( 1493-1541 )

• Swiss chemist and


physician. Rejecting the
ancient reliance on concern
for bodily "humours,"
Paracelsus transformed the
practice of medicine by
employing careful
observation and
experimentation. Although
his chemical knowledge was
rudimentary by modern
standards, Paracelsus
envisioned using
pharmaceutical methods for
treating disease and
something like inoculation
for preventing it.
Robert Boyle (1627­1691)

• An Irish scientist considered the founder of modern chemistry. He helped establish the 
experimental method in chemistry and physics. 

• Boyle is best known for his experiments on gases that led to the formulation of Boyle's 
law (see GAS (Gas laws)). This law says the volume of a gas at constant temperature 
varies inversely to the pressure applied to the gas. Boyle also helped improve the air 
pump, and with it he investigated the nature of vacuums. 

• Boyle introduced many new methods for determining the identity and chemical 
composition of substances. He disproved the theory that air, earth, fire, and water were 
the basic elements of all matter. Boyle argued that all basic physical properties were due 
to the motion of atoms, which he called "corpuscles."

• Boyle lived in England for most of his life. He was a founding member of the Royal 
Society of London, one of the world's foremost scientific organizations. Boyle described 
his experiments in many books. He was born at Lismore Castle, Ireland. 
Robert Boyle (1627­1691)
Galileo Galilei 1564 ­ 1657

     Italian astronomer and physicist, has been called the 
founder of modern experimental science. Galileo made the 
first effective use of the refracting telescope to discover 
important new facts about astronomy. He also discovered 
the law of falling bodies as well as the law of the 
pendulum. Galileo designed a variety of scientific 
instruments. He also developed and improved the 
refracting telescope, though he did not invent it. 
Galileo Galilei

From World Book © 2002 World Book, Inc., 233 N. Michigan Avenue, Suite
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Italy (Art Resource)
Astronomy and Kinematics

• In 1610 Galileo made observations of sunspots and of 
Venus, noting that the planet progresses through phases 
similar to those of the moon. This fact confirmed his 
doubts about Ptolemaic astronomy and deepened his 
conviction of the truth of Copernicus' theory that the earth 
and planets revolve around the sun. Publication of these 
findings, starting in 1610, brought him wide renown. 
Astronomy and Kinematics

• Galileo also pursued research on motion­especially the 
motion of freely falling bodies. The problem, as he saw it, 
was that the Aristotelian theory of motion, which referred 
all motion to a stationary earth at the center of the 
universe, made it impossible to believe the earth actually 
moves. Galileo went to work to develop a theory of motion 
consistent with a moving earth. 
Galileo and Inertia
• http://id.mind.net/~zona/mstm/physics/mechanics
From World Book © 2002 World Book, Inc., 233 N.
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All rights reserved. Museo di Fisica e Storia
Naturale, Florence, Italy (SCALA/Art Resource)
From World Book © 2002 World
Book, Inc., 233 N. Michigan Avenue,
Suite 2000, Chicago, IL 60601. All
rights reserved. © J. M. Charles,
Photo Researchers
Astronomy and Kinematics

• Among the most important results of this search were the 
law of the pendulum and the law of freely falling bodies. 
Galileo observed that pendulums of equal length swing at 
the same rate whether their arcs are large or small. Modern 
measuring instruments show that the rate is actually 
somewhat greater if the arc is large. Galileo's law of falling 
bodies states that all objects fall at the same speed, 
regardless of their mass; and that, as they fall, the speed of 
their descent increases uniformly.
Pendulum

        

        The Italian physicist Galileo discovered the laws of the pendulum. He 
noticed that a hanging lamp would swing with an almost constant 
period, whether the arc was large or small. He believed that a 
pendulum could regulate the movements of clocks. The Dutch 
scientist Christiaan Huygens patented the first pendulum clock in 
1657. Galileo's observations are still correct as long as the pendulum's 
swing is small. But modern measuring instruments have shown that 
the period of a pendulum increases when it has a large swing. 
Pendulum
• The Simple
Pendulum
• If a pendulum of mass m attached to a
string of length L is displaced by an
angle from the vertical, it experiences a
net restoring force due to gravity:
• In this small angle approximation, the
amplitude of the pendulum has no effect
on the period. This is what makes
pendulums such good time keepers. As
they inevitably lose energy due to
frictional forces, their amplitude
decreases, but the period remains
constant.
Pendulum
Figure showing the more intense 
scattering of blue light by the 
atmosphere relative to red light.
Rayleigh scattering is more dramatic after 
sunset. This picture was taken about one hour 
after sunset at 500m altitude, looking at the 
horizon where the sun had set.
Rayleigh scattering causes the blue hue of the 
daytime sky and the reddening of the sun at 
sunset
Rene’ Descartes

“I think, therefore I am”


Method of Doubt

Descartes used a certain method to try to isolate a definite


truth, or something that can not be doubted. Descartes
tried to achieve this absolute truth by starting analysis
with radical doubt.
Rene Descartes
• Rene Descartes was one of the
founders of modern philosophy.
In this painting, Descartes
conducts a scientific
experiment for Queen Christina
of Sweden shortly before his
death in 1650.

• Detail of Rene Descartes


Conducts a Demonstration
Before Queen Christina of
Sweden (about 1700) oil on
canvas by Dumesnil (The Art
From World Book © 2002 World Book, Inc., 233 N. Michigan Avenue, Archive)
Suite 2000, Chicago, IL 60601. All rights reserved. Detail of Rene
Descartes Conducts a Demonstration Before Queen Christina of Sweden
(about 1700) oil on canvas by Dumesnil (The Art Archive)
Gilbert, William (1540­1603),
• Gilbert, William (1540­1603), an English doctor and scientist, was the first 
person to use the word electricity. He has been called the "Galileo of 
Magnetism" because of his celebrated book De Magnete, which he published 
in 1600. It was concerned with the properties of magnetism, with electricity, 
and with the use of compasses in navigation. 

• Gilbert's most important discoveries in the field of magnetism were the laws 
of attraction and repulsion, magnetic dip, and the properties of loadstones. 
Gilbert based his findings on observation and practical experiments. This 
practice differed greatly from that of most of the scientists of his time, who 
developed only abstract theories, unsupported by experiments. 

• Gilbert was born in Colchester, in Essex, England, and was educated at St. 
John's College, Cambridge. He was physician to Queen Elizabeth I and 
attended her during her last illness. Gilbert died on Nov. 30, 1603. 
William Harvey (1578­1657)

• An English physician who became 
famous for his discovery of how 
blood circulates in mammals, 
including human beings. He 
described his discovery in An 
Anatomical Study of the Motion of 
the Heart and of the Blood in 
Animals (1628). This work became 
the basis for all modern research on 
the heart and blood vessels.
Bacon, Francis (1561­1626)
• English philosopher, essayist, jurist, and statesman. He was one of the earliest and most 
influential supporters of empirical (experimental) science and helped develop the 
scientific method of solving problems. 
• Bacon believed all previous claims to knowledge, particularly of medieval science, were 
doubtful because they were based on poor logic. He believed the mind makes hasty 
generalizations, which prevent the attainment of knowledge. But he also believed that 
the mind could discover truths that would enable humanity to conquer disease, poverty, 
and war by gaining power over nature. To discover truths, the human mind must rid 
itself of four prejudices. Bacon called these prejudices Idols of the Mind. 
• Bacon believed the mind could attain truth if it followed the inductive method of 
investigation. He developed four steps of doing so: (1) listing all known cases in which a 
phenomenon occurs; (2) listing similar cases where the phenomenon does not occur; (3) 
listing the cases in which the phenomenon occurs in differing degrees; and (4) 
examination of the three lists. These steps would lead to the cause of a phenomenon. 
• Bacon suggested the use of preliminary hypotheses (assumptions) to aid scientific 
investigation. His treatment of hypothesis is still a subject of study. Bacon also wrote an 
unfinished romance called New Atlantis (published in 1627, after his death). The book 
describes an imaginary island where the inhabitants dedicate themselves to the study of 
science. 
Bacon, Francis (1561­1626)
• Four very significant stumbling­blocks in the way of 
grasping the truth, which hinder every man (sic) 
however learned, and scarcely allow anyone to win a 
clear title to wisdom, namely: the example of weak and 
unworthy authority, longstanding custom, the feeling of 
the ignorant crowd, and the hiding of our own ignorance 
while making a display of our apparent knowledge.
Isaac Newton 1642 ­ 1727

• Proposed three laws of mechanics: 
       1. Inertia ­ A body continues to move in a straight line unless acted upon by a force
       2. F  =  ma Acceleration is proportional to the applied force.   As long as the force is 
applied the velocity increases.
       3. For every action there is a reaction

• Explained motion of planets and moon
• Proposed law of universal gravitation
• Explained tides
• Assumed laws on Earth were same as in the heavens
• Discovered light composed of different color
• Invented reflector telescope
Newton’s Rules of Reasoning

• Use no more hypothesis than needed a restatement of Ockham’s Razor
• Apply same cause to same effect
• Properties on earth are same as properties (laws) in other parts of universe
• Offer hypotheses supported only by experiment 
• “ we are to look upon propositions inferred by general induction from 
phenomena as accurately or very nearly true, not withstanding any contrary 
hypothesis that may be imagined till such time as other phenomena  occur by 
which they may either be made more accurate or liable to exception
Antoine Lavoisier 1743 ­ 1794

French chemist who, through a conscious revolution,


became the father of modern chemistry. As a student,
he stated "I am young and avid for glory." He was
educated in a radical tradition, a friend of Condillac
and read Maquois's dictionary. He won a prize on
lighting the streets of Paris, and designed a new
method for preparing saltpeter. He also married a
young, beautiful 13-year-old girl named Marie-Anne,
who translated from English for him and illustrated
his books. Lavoisier demonstrated with careful
measurements that transmutation of water to earth
was not possible, but that the sediment observed from
boiling water came from the container. He burnt
phosphorus and sulfur in air, and proved that the
products weighed more than he original.
Nevertheless, the weight gained was lost from the air.
Thus he established the Law of Conservation of
Mass.
Systematic Classification

Carolus Linnaeus 
Systema Naturae 1758 
THE LINNEAN HIERARCHY FOR 
HUMANS  

Phylum Chordata                 
        

               Class Mammalia
                      Order Primates 
                             Family Hominidae 
                                   Genus Homo     
                                         Species Homo sapiens 
Early Ideas about Evolution
Speices changes through time in 
Catastrophism
response to environment Heritable characteristics

Comte de Buffon
 (Georges Louis Leclerc)
Baron Cuvier
1707­1788  Jean­Baptiste Lamarck 
1769­1832 
Environment, but  1744­1829 
other mechanisms too

Erasmus Darwin
1731­1802
Understanding the Depth of Time

James Hutton Charles Lyell
1726­1797 1797 ­ 1875 
Alexander Von Humboldt

Thomas Malthus
1766­1834 
Charles Darwin & Alfred Wallace

How did they arrive at  the same conclusions?
Darwin and Wallace Volumes
Heat Engines, Heat Pumps, and Refrigerators

Getting something useful from heat
Michael Faraday, b. Sept. 22, 1791 d. Aug. 25, 1867

The English chemist and physicist


Michael Faraday, b. Sept. 22, 1791, d.
Aug. 25, 1867, is known for his
pioneering experiments in electricity
and magnetism. Many consider him the
greatest experimentalist who ever lived.
Several concepts that he derived
directly from experiments, such as lines
of magnetic force, have become
common ideas in modern physics.
Dmitri Mendeleev (c. 1860)
• Russian chemist
• Looked for common 
properties in elements
• Then arranged by atomic 
mass
• Noticed similar properties 
appeared at regular 
intervals  “periodic”
The world first saw Mendeleev’s periodic table when it was 
published in a German scientific journal.
Henry Moseley (1911)
• English scientist
• Elements fit into 
patterns better if 
arranged by atomic 
number 
   e.g. Te and I
Modern Periodic Table
What you need to identify in the 
modern periodic table:
• Metals
• Nonmetals
• Metalloids
• Transition metals  good conductors, shiny
• Alkali metals  most reactive metals
• Alkaline metals  reactive metals
• Halogens  most reactive nonmetals
• Noble gases  don’t react
JAMES CLERK MAXWELL 1831-1879

James Clerk Maxwell was one of the


greatest scientists who have ever lived.
To him we owe the most significant
discovery of our age - the theory of
electromagnetism. He is rightly
acclaimed as the father of modern
physics. He also made fundamental
contributions to mathematics,
astronomy and engineering.
Maxwell, James Clerk (1831­1879)
• Scottish scientist, one of the greatest mathematicians and physicists of the 1800's is best 
known for his research on electricity and magnetism and for his kinetic theory of gases. 
This theory explains the properties of a gas in terms of the behavior of its molecules. 
Maxwell also investigated color vision, elasticity, optics, Saturn's rings, and 
thermodynamics, a branch of physics that deals with heat and work. 

• Maxwell based his work on electricity and magnetism on the discoveries of the English 
physicist Michael Faraday. In 1864, Maxwell combined his ideas with those of Faraday 
and certain other scientists and formed a mathematical theory that describes the 
relationship between electric and magnetic fields. Both these fields exert forces on 
electrically charged objects. Maxwell showed that waves in combined electric and 
magnetic fields, called electromagnetic waves, travel at the speed of light. In fact, 
Maxwell argued that light itself consists of electromagnetic waves. In the late 1880's, the 
German physicist Heinrich R. Hertz conducted experiments that confirmed Maxwell's 
theory. 
• Maxwell's equations indicate that light moves at a particular speed, represented by the 
letter c. The value of c is now known to be 186,282 miles (299,792 kilometers) per 
second. Maxwell assumed that c was the speed of light relative to the ether. According to 
this assumption, light would travel faster or slower than c in an inertial frame moving 
 
relative to the ether.
Michelson and Morley

During the 1800's, physicists tried unsuccessfully to measure


the speed of the earth relative to the ether. According to
classical physics, the ether was motionless. In the early 1880's,
Hendrik A. Lorentz, a Dutch physicist, explained the failure of
these experiments by assuming that the ether was partially
dragged along as the earth moved through it. Two American
physicists, Albert A. Michelson and Edward W. Morley, developed
an instrument that made far more precise measurements than
earlier devices. Their experiments helped destroy the ether
theory. In 1887, Michelson and Morley demonstrated that the
earth's movement around the sun had no effect on the speed of
light. Their finding could be understood only by assuming that
the ether near the surface of the earth moved at the same speed
as the earth. However, this assumption contradicted the results
of many other experiments.
From World Book © 2002 World Book, Inc., 233 N.
Michigan Avenue, Suite 2000, Chicago, IL 60601.
All rights reserved. (C) Hulton/Archive
Principles of Relativity
Einstein introduced a new principle, the 
special principle of relativity. This principle 
has two parts: (1) There is no ether, and the 
speed of light is the same for all observers, 
whatever their relative motion. (2) The laws 
of nature are the same in all inertial frames, 
where the laws are understood to include 
those described by Maxwell. 
Albert Einstein (1879­1955),

• Was one of the greatest scientists of all time. He is best known for his theory of 
relativity, which he first advanced when he was only 26. He also made many other 
contributions to science. 

• Relativity. Einstein's relativity theory revolutionized scientific thought with new 
conceptions of time, space, mass, motion, and gravitation. He treated matter and energy 
as exchangeable, not distinct. In so doing, he laid the basis for controlling the release of 
energy from the atom. 

• Thus, Einstein was one of the fathers of the nuclear age. Einstein's famous equation, E 
equals m times c­squared (energy equals mass times the velocity of light squared), 
became a foundation stone in the development of nuclear energy. Einstein developed his 
theory through deep philosophical thought and through complex mathematical 
reasoning. The great scientist was once reported to have said that only a dozen people in 
the world could understand his theory. However, Einstein always denied this report. 
Discoveries of 20th Century
• 1900 Quantum nature of energy • 1913 Leavitt discovers 
• 1903 First motorized airplane  • 1913Bohr describes atomic 
flew structure
• 1915 General theory of relativity
• Special theory of relativity 
published • 1922 Banting and Best isolate 
insulin
• 1907Radiometric dating finds  • 1924 Hubble identifies new galaxy
earth 2.2 billion years old
• 1926 Television developed
• Ehrlich finds cure for syphilis • 1927 Big bang theory introduced
• 1912 Leavitt discovers  • 1927 Heisenberg state uncertainty 
Cepheid's period and  principle
luminosity
• 1912 Wegener proposes 
continental drift
Discoveries of 20th Century
• 1928 Fleming discovers penicillin • 1947 Libby introduces C14 dating
• 1929 Hubble finds universe  • 1947 Transistor invented
expanding • 1953 Salk polio vaccine
• 1931 Lawrence invents cyclotron • 1953 Miller makes amino acids in 
laboratory
• 1935 Nylon invented
• 1953 Mid­Atlantic rift discovered
• 1942 Fermi creates 1st controlled 
• 1953 Watson  and Crick describe 
nuclear reaction DNA
• 1945 ENIAC built • 1954 First kidney transplant
• 1945 Atomic bomb detonated • 1959 Leaky finds early hominid
Discoveries of 20th Century
• 1960 Hess propose sea­floor spreading • 1977 found near deep ocean vents
• 1965 Penzias and Wilson observe  • 1980 Alvarez finds evidence for 
cosmic background microwave  dinosaur killing asteroid
radiation
• 1992 World wide Web
• 1967 Pulsars discovered
• 1992 The risk of carbon dioxide
• 1969 Apollo lands on moon
buildup and global warming is
• 1971 First commercial microprocessor  recognised.
introduced
• 1974 Johanson finds 3.2 million year  • 1992 The first 'xenotransplant'
old Lucy from one type of animal to
• 1975 Personal computer launched another involving genetically
• 1976 Cosmic string theory introduced
engineered tissue (liver) is
carried out successfully.
Discoveries of 21  Century st

• 1997 Dolly the sheep is born. She


has been produced by Ian Wilmut
and his team at the Roslin Institute
near Edinburgh
• 2000 World Wide Web estimated to
cover 1 billion pages.

• As homework the student list other


discoveries during the past 4 years
Deductive and Inductive 
Reasoning
A deductive argument is one in which it is claimed that it is impossible for the
premises to be true but the conclusion false. Thus, the conclusion follows
necessarily from the premises and inferences. In this way, it is supposed to be
a definitive proof of the truth of the claim (conclusion). Here is an example:
1. All men are mortal. (premise)
2. Socrates was a man. (premise)
3. Socrates was mortal. (conclusion)
As you can see, if the premises are true (and they are), then it simply isn't
possible for the conclusion to be false.

An inductive argument is one in which the premises are supposed to support


the conclusion in such a way that if the premises are true, it is improbable
that the conclusion would be false. Thus, the conclusion follows probably from
the premises and inferences. Here is an example:
1. Socrates was Greek. (premise)
2. Most Greeks eat fish. (premise)
3. Socrates probably ate fish. (conclusion)
Deductive and Inductive 
Reasoning
                           inductive
The meerkat is closely related to the suricat
The suricat thrives on beetle larvae
Therefore, probably the meerkat thrives on beetle larvae
Deductive and Inductive 
Reasoning
                             deductive
The meekat is a member of the mongoose family
All members of the mongoose family are carnivores
Therefore, it necessarily follows that the meerkat is a carnivore
mongoose

cobra
Inductive Mathematical Reasoning

Find a General Rule for the Number series: 0, 2, 8, 18, 32, 50, 72…..

Explain the Fibonacci Series: 1, 2, 3, 5, 8, 13, 21, 34,……

Stable Atomic Nuclei have the following number of nucleons (proton and neutrons):
2, 8, 20, 28, 50, 82, 126, … What is the next member in the series?
Logical Fallacies
http://www.intrepidsoftware.com/fallacy/toc.php
• Novelty, Appeal to
• Abusive ad hominem
• No True Scotsman
• Accent
• Numbers, Appeal to
• Ambiguity (index)
• Money, Appeal to
• Amphiboly
• Oversimplification and Exaggeration
• Age, Appeal to
• Pity, Appeal to (Argumentum ad Misercordiam)
• Authority, Appeals to (4 types)
• Poisoning the Well
• Authority, Legitimate Appeal to
• Poverty, Appeal to
• Ad Hominem (5 types)
• Presumption
• Begging the Question
• Quantifier Fallacy
• Circumstantial ad hominem
• Quoting out of Context
• Complex Question
• Reification / Hypostatization
• Composition
• Fallacies of Relevance (index)
• Correlation vs. Causation
• Scope Fallacy
• Division
• Suppressed Evidence
• Emotion and Desire, Appeals to (5 types)
• Tradition, Appeal to
• Equivocation
• Tu Quoque (two wrongs don't make a right
• Unqualified Authority, Appeal to
• Genetic Fallacy
• False Dilemma
• Illicit Observation
• Flatter, Appeal to
• Force / Fear, Appeal to (Argumentum ad Baculum)
Logical Fallacies
• Straw Man
• Definition:
• The author attacks an argument which is different from, and
• usually weaker than, the opposition's best argument.
• Examples:
• (i) People who opposed the Charlottown Accord probably just
• wanted Quebec to separate. But we want Quebec to stay in
• Canada.
• (ii) We should have conscription. People don't want to enter
• the military because they find it an inconvenience. But they
• should realize that there are more important things than
• convenience.
• Proof:
• Show that the opposition's argument has been
• misrepresented by showing that the opposition has a stronger
• argument. Describe the stronger argument.
Logical Fallacies
• Definition:
• The truth of the conclusion is assumed by the premises.
• Often, the conclusion is simply restated in the premises in a
• slightly different form. In more difficult cases, the premise is
• a consequence of the conclusion.
• Examples:
• (i) Since I'm not lying, it follows that I'm telling the truth.

• (ii) We know that God exists, since the Bible says God exists.
• What the Bible says must be true, since God wrote it and
• God never lies. (Here, we must agree that God exists in order
• to believe that God wrote the Bible.)
• Proof:
• Show that in order to believe that the premises are true we
• must already agree that the conclusion is true.
Logical Fallacies
• Coincidental Correlation
• (post hoc ergo propter hoc )
• Definition:
• The name in Latin means "after this therefore because of this".
• This describes the fallacy. An author commits the fallacy when
• it is assumed that because one thing follows another that the
• one thing was caused by the other.
• Examples:
• (i) Immigration to Alberta from Ontario increased. Soon
• after, the welfare rolls increased. Therefore, the increased
• immigration caused the increased welfare rolls.
• (ii) I took EZ-No-Cold, and two days later, my cold
• disappeared.
• Proof:
• Show that the correlation is coincidental by showing that: (i)
• the effect would have occurred even if the cause did not
• occur, or (ii) that the effect was caused by something other
• than the suggested cause.
Scientific Development From 1543 to 1789
`1543: Nicolas Copernicus (1473-1543) publishes De Revolutionibus Orbium Coelestium, which argues that the Sun is
the center of the Solar System.
*1543: Andrea Vesalius (1514-1564) publishes Concerning the Structure of the Human Body, the first modern
anatomical text.
*1600: William Gilbert (1540-1603) publishes Concerning the Magnet.
*1605: Francis Bacon (1561-1626) publishes Advancement of Learning.
*1609: Astronomia Nova is published by Johannes Kepler (1571-1630), in which he presented his first two Laws of
Planetary Motion.
*1610: Galileo Galilei (1564-1642) publishes Sidereal Messenger, describing his observations using the telescope.
*1619: Kepler publishes his Third Law in Harmonia Mundi.
*1628: William Harvey (1578-1657) publishes On the Motion of the Heart and Blood in Animals, in which he proves
that the heart circulates blood throughout the body.
*1632: Galileo publishes Concerning the Two Chief World Systems, in which he compares the Copernican and Ptolemaic
solar systems.
*1637: Rene Descartes publishes his Discourse on Method, in which he lays the foundation for modern philosophy.
*1644-9: Pierre Gassendi (1592-1655), in a series of works, revives the traditions of Epicureanism and Skepticism.
*1660: Robert Boyle (1627-1691) publishes New Experiments Physico-Mechanical Touching the Spring of the Air, in
which he states his laws of gases.
*1662: The Royal Society of London is founded.
*1666: The French Academy of Science is founded.
*1677: Anton von Leeuwenhoek (1632-1723), using a microscope, discovers male spermatoza.
*1678: Christian Huygens (1629-1695) proposes the wave theory of light.
*1687: Isaac Newton (1642-1727) publishes his Principia Mathematica.
*1704: Isaac Newton publishes his Optics.
*1735: Carolus Linnaeus publishes his Systema Naturae, which establishes the science of taxonomy.
*1789: Antoine Lavoisier publishes his treatise on chemistry, laying the foundation for the modern theory of chemical
elements.
Scientific Development From 1543 to 1789

• 1543: Nicolas Copernicus (1473-1543) publishes De Revolutionibus Orbium


Coelestium, which argues that the Sun is the center of the Solar System.
• 1543: Andrea Vesalius (1514-1564) publishes Concerning the Structure of
the Human Body, the first modern anatomical text.
• 1600: William Gilbert (1540-1603) publishes Concerning the Magnet.
• 1605: Francis Bacon (1561-1626) publishes Advancement of Learning.
• 1609: Astronomia Nova is published by Johannes Kepler (1571-1630), in
which he presented his first two Laws of Planetary Motion.
• 1610: Galileo Galilei (1564-1642) publishes Sidereal Messenger, describing
his observations using the telescope.
• 1619: Kepler publishes his Third Law in Harmonia Mundi.
Scientific Development From 1543 to 1789
*1628: William Harvey (1578-1657) publishes On the Motion of the Heart and
Blood `in Animals, in which he proves that the heart circulates blood throughout the
body.
*1632: Galileo publishes Concerning the Two Chief World Systems, in which he
compares the Copernican and Ptolemaic solar systems.
*1637: Rene Descartes publishes his Discourse on Method, in which he lays the
foundation for modern philosophy.
*1644-9: Pierre Gassendi (1592-1655), in a series of works, revives the traditions of
Epicureanism and Skepticism.
*1660: Robert Boyle (1627-1691) publishes New Experiments Physico-Mechanical
Touching the Spring of the Air, in which he states his laws of gases.
*1662: The Royal Society of London is founded.
Scientific Development From 1543 to 1789

*1666: The French Academy of Science is founded.


*1677: Anton von Leeuwenhoek (1632-1723), using a microscope, discovers male
spermatoza.
*1678: Christian Huygens (1629-1695) proposes the wave theory of light.
*1687: Isaac Newton (1642-1727) publishes his Principia Mathematica.
*1704: Isaac Newton publishes his Optics.
*1735: Carolus Linnaeus publishes his Systema Naturae, which establishes the
science of taxonomy.
*1789: Antoine Lavoisier publishes his treatise on chemistry, laying the
foundation for the modern theory of chemical elements.
These tiny fluctuations have 
evolved 
into clusters of galaxies today
How Small Is A Particle?
Molecular Biology Overview  
Nucleus
Cell

Chromosome

Gene (DNA)
Protein Gene (mRNA),
single strand

Graphics courtesy of the National Human Genome Research Institute

104
Copyright © 2002 
Method of Doubt
He used 3 different foundations of belief in this method:

•Analysis of the Senses

•The Dream Hypothesis

•The Evil Genius


Since he is able to think,
then it is derived that he
is alive and breathing.
Three Types of Ideas
Innate------------Adventum ---------------Distinct

• Innate Ideas: Ideas that are in our souls by 
nature.
•  Adventum Ideas: Ideas that we “learn”
•  Distinct Ideas: Ideas that we “invent”
Adventum Ideas
Descartes’s main interest is in the Adventum Ideas.

• Descartes described the ideas as:
• It is not evident that the things that exist 
outside oneself are the causes of one’s ideas 
because the things that exist outside oneself 
and that seem are responsible for one’s ideas, 
are in reality material things.
Objectives of the Philosophy of 
Descartes
Mathematics and Philosophy are the basics of
Descartes’ fundamental studies.

• Don’t try to prove a multitude of truths, but 
instead develop a system in which nothing is 
said that is not evident.
•  
• Use reason so you can be able to succeed in 
life.

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