Copernicus

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Copernicus
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The Church and Aristotle.

• Saint Thomas Aquinas (1225-74) used Aristotles
  teaching to help people of his own time
  understand Christianity.
• In 1323, Aquinas was canonized (made official
  church doctrine) and with that, so were his views
  regarding Aristotle.
• To say Aristotle was wrong, was to say that the
  Churchs official views were wrong. Not that
  anyone didat least not yet.

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Key Ideas for Your Notes

• St. Thomas Aquinas interpretation of Aristotles
  ideas were made official doctrine.

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Historical Context

• The previous century saw The Black Death, the
  printing press, the Renaissance with an emphasis
  on humanism.
• 1517 Martin Luther nails his famous list to the
  Church bulletin board (aka. door) sparking the
  Protestant Reformation.
• 1543 Copernicus publishes his book.
• 1600 Giordano Bruno burnt alive for heresy.
  Among his ideas were that the sun is just another
  star and other stars might have their own worlds
  around them.
• Other heresies include saying Mary wasnt a
  virgin, denying transubstantiation, etc.
• 1616 Copernican model officially declared
  heresy.
• 1633 Galileo put under house arrest for life
  for promoting Copernican ideas.

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Key Ideas for Your Notes

• Copernicus ideas came on the heals of the
  Protestant Reformation. The church already felt
  under attack.
• Scientific ideas seen as having religious
  implications. (Much like evolution today)

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The Relationship Between the Church and Science.

• Medieval Times Most scientists were monks.
• Renaissance The church financed many scientists.
  
• Scientific Revolution Scientists were generally
  free to study what they wanted.
• Galileo initially had supporters in the church
  (Jesuit monks.)
• Galileos most obstinate critics were other
  scientists. Everything they knew said that
  Galileo was wrong. It would be like someone
  trying to tell us Newton was wrong wed need a
  whole lot of convincing.

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Key Ideas for Your Notes

• The church often had a good relationship with
  science.
• Scientists were often more critical of new ideas
  than the church.

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So what was the problem?

• Galileo was a supreme, but tactless debater who
  made his opponents look like idiots. He was well
  respected by some and hated by others.
• The churchs authority was under attack from the
  Reformation movement.
• Anytime the government is under attack, free
  speech is limited and tolerance of critics goes
  down.

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Key Ideas for Your Notes

• Anytime the government is under attack, free
  speech is limited and tolerance of critics goes
  down.

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Subtle Flaws in Ptolemys Model

• Epicycles are too cumbersome.
• Precision observations were leading to the need
  for epicycles on top of epicycles.

Mars
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Key Ideas for Your Notes

• Precision predictions in Ptolemys model required
  epicycles on top of epicycles.

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Copernicus Ideas

• If the sun is at the center and we are moving,
  everything is explained

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Well, almost
Summarize these in your notes

• Predictions based on Copernicus model were
  actually no more accurate than Ptolemys.
• Because Copernicus still thought the orbits were
  perfect circles.
• It mean that the stars had to be trillions and
  trillions of miles away for there to be no
  observable parallax.
• Had no explanation for why we dont feel like
  were moving.
• Only real advantage (so far) simplicity.

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Along comes Kepler

• Finally figures out that orbits arent perfectly
  circular. They are elliptical.
• Planets have very slight ellipses.
• Comets are highly elliptical.
• Combining elliptical orbits with Copernicus
  model makes perfect predictions.

Comet Orbit
Perfect Circle
Planetary Orbit
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Key Ideas for Your Notes

• Kepler Orbits are elliptical.
• Circular models only slightly off because planets
  only slightly elliptical.

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Kepler and Tyco

• Tyco Brahe was took the most accurate
  measurements ever made (prior to the telescope).
• Tyco Trivia
• Lost his nose in a duel and had a metal
  prosthetic nose.
• Had a dwarf jester who Tyco believed was
  clairvoyant.
• Kept a pet moose in his mansion that got drunk at
  a party and fell down the stairs.
• Tyco left his data to Kepler, who used it to
  confirm the ellipse model.

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Along comes Galileo

• Figures out that objects dont need forces to
  keep them in motion.
• Figures out that if two objects are moving
  together, they will continue to move together
  unless a force changes the motion of one of them.
• People argued that if the earth rotated, we would
  all be blown away by the wind. Galileo says the
  air rotates with the earth so we feel no wind.
• People said that if the earth moved and we
  jumped, wed be left behind. Galileo says we
  wont, just like a cannon ball dropped from the
  mast of a ship isnt left behind by the ship.
• People said that if the earth moved, the moon
  would be left behind.

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Key Ideas for Your Notes

• Critics of moving earth Why dont people / the
  moon get left behind? Why dont we feel it?

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Aristotle
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Argument for why the earth cant move.
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Galileo
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Argument for why the earth can move.
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Moon goes around the earth

• Both Aristotle and Galileo agreed with this.
• Aristotles supporters said, if the earth moves,
  why doesnt the moon get left behind?
• Even if people and cannon balls dont get left
  behind, the same logic doesnt necessarily hold
  true for the moon.

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Key Ideas for Your Notes

• Critics of moving earth Why dont people / the
  moon get left behind? Why dont we feel it?
• Galileo First law of motion.

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Along comes Galileos Telescope
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Along comes Galileo

• Figures out that the heavens arent perfect.
• Moon isnt a perfect sphere.

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Along comes Galileo

• Figures out that the heavens arent perfect.
• Sun has blemishes.
• They rotate with the sun. They fade and new ones
  appear.

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Along comes Galileo

• Even if the earth is the center of rotation,
  were not the only center of rotation.
• And they dont get left behind.

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Key Ideas for Your Notes

• Old view of heavens
• Perfect spheres
• Unchanging
• Earth is at center of everything.
• New Observations
• Mountains on Moon
• Sun has spots that move and change
• Jupiter is the center of its own moons.