Copernicus, Kepler, Galileo, Newton

Page
5

·Don't get hands dirty

·Problem literally of cosmic significance

·Big problems tend to attract the best minds

Slide 46

·Why was the Copernican Revolution so pivotal?Opportunity to observe laws of nature in "pure" form

·Gravity and momentum are the only laws at work

·Uncomplicated by friction, air resistance, etc.

·In a sense, the ancients were right; the heavens are more harmonious than Earth.

Slide 47

·The Scientific EstablishmentEarliest means of communication, privately published books, pamphlets, letters.

·Often vigorous counter-responses published by others.

·Martin Mersenne (1588-1648), French mathematician, copied and distributed letters, acted as clearing-house. Nicknamed "Post-Box of Europe." Good analogy to informal Internet discussion networks today.

Slide 48

Scientific Societies and Journals

First in mid-1600's

Journals first published late 1600's (about 100 by 1800, nearly 50,000 now).

·By ca. 1700 books had become so specialized that publishers often refused to print them.

·About 6,000,000 scientific articles published annually now, worldwide.

Slide 49

·Scientific Societies and JournalsInformation content has doubled about every 15 years since 1700.

·Most of history's scientists are alive now, most knowledge gained in living memory

·Same has been true since about 1700.

·Approaching saturation of resources?

Slide 50

Scientific Support

Many early scientists were amateurs. Every science was founded by somebody not formally trained in it.

·Few opportunities for scientific employment until 19th century

·physicians

·engineers

Slide 51

·Scientific SupportMany early scientists supported by occupations that allowed leisure.

·clergy

·government sinecures (jobs with no responsibilities)

·independent wealth

·royal patronage

·Present forms of support very recent in origin

·corporate research

·government grant

Slide 52

Priority conflictsNewton had disputes with Robert Hooke about discovery of gravity, and Liebniz over the invention of Calculus

·Have occurred since earliest days of science even when workers were few.

·Major problems attract many workers, most attention: challenge, prestige

·Solutions often emerge simultaneously from many sources.