Brief History Of Science

Front 1

Definition of Science

Back 1

the accumulation & classification of observable facts
to formulate general laws
about the natural world

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Imhotep

Back 2

Egyptian renowned for his practice of medicine

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Thales

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one of first real scientists
studied planets and stars
correctly predicted solar eclipse

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Anaximander

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pupil of Thales
tried to explain creation without God
(Humans were a type of fish at one time)

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Anaximenes

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believed air to be most basic substance in nature (from which fire, liquids, and solids arise)

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Leucippus

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proposed that all matter is comprised of "atoms"
known as the father of atomic theory

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Democritus

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student of Leucippus
used the idea of a beach to explain atoms
his ideas were rejected for almost 2,000 years

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Aristotle

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called "Father of Life Sciences"
first to attempt a large-scale classification system
financially supported by Alexander the Great
believed in "spontaneous generation"

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Archimedes

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known for work with fluids
known for screaming "Eureka" after bathing & streaking though streets

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Ptolemy

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Geocentric theory of start & planets
widely accepted as truth, esp by church

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Alchemy chief aim

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to produce gold from lead or other substances

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Robert Grosseteste

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Roman Catholic bishop
often called father of the scientific method

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Dietrich Von Freiberg

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called the "priest who solved the mystery of the rainbow"

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Roger Bacon

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believed science could support religion (Christianity)
predicted flying machines, explosives, submarines
wanted to break superstitions (goat blood could break diamond, for example)

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Thomas Bradwardeen

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religious reformer
first scientist to look critically at Aristotle

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Nicholas of Cusa

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Interest in the idea of God as infinite
interest in planets & stars
correctly believed earth spins as it travels around sun
in contradiction to Ptolemy

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Nicolaus Copernicus

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believed Ptolemy to be wrong
his system was heliocentric (sun-centered)
denounced by church, book banned

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Andreas Vesalius

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wrote a detailed book of human anatomy
(organs, muscles, skeleton)

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Johannes Kepler

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made detailed observations of the planets
showed they travel in an ellipse, rather than a circle

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Galileo Galilei

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compiled evidence for heliocentric theory
"invented" telescope
put on trial for heresy, recanted

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Blaise Pascal

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studied air & liquids
invented an early adding machine
"Pascal's Law" preceded development of hydraulic lifts
(invented the syringe)

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Sir Isaac Newton

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Three Laws of Motion
developed calculus
Law of Gravitation
wrote Principia (multi-volume)
defeated geocentric view

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Robert Boyle

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founder of modern chemistry
experimented with gases

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Antoni van Leeuwenhoek

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built the first microscope

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enlightenment

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change of ideas, science stopped relying on past ideas
scientists also began to ignore/question the Bible

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Carrolus Linnaeus

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proposed basic classification for life still used today
believed these ordered God's creation

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Antoine-Laurent Lavoisier

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chemist
realized matter cannot be created or destroyed, only changed
"Law of Mass Conservation"
explained combustion

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John Dalton

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proposed detailed theory about atoms ("atomic theory")
considered founder of modern atomic theory

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Charles Darwin

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created the Theory of Evolution
as detailed in Origin of the Species
showed that the immutability of species was wrong

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Louis Pasteur

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advanced understanding of bacteria
developed "pasteurization" to keep milk from souring
developed vaccine against rabies

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Sir Charles Lyell

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postulated the earth was very old and took millions of years to form

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Gregor Mendel

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study of genetics are based on his work

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Michael Faraday

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experimented with electricity
earned title "the electrical giant"
coined many electrical terms still in use

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James Clerk Maxwell

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known as founder of modern physics
worked with Faraday
developed math to prove Faraday's theories about magnetism and electricity, that they were part of the same process called "electromagnetism"

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James Joule

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determined that energy cannot be created or destroyed =
"First Law of Thermodynamics"

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Max Planck

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proposed that energy exists in small packets called "quanta"
quantum mechanics developed from his idea

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Albert Einstein

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used Planck's idea of energy quanta to explain a problem ("the photoelectric effect")
Special Theory of Relativity = matter is another form of energy
General Theory of Relativity, explains how gravity works

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Niels Bohr

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developed picture of the atom called the Bohr Model