The scientific revolution

3. THE SCIENTIFIC REVOLUTION -

During the Renaissance, philosophers had questioned traditional ideas and beliefs.

This critical wy of thinking had geat influence.

According to the scientific method of the 17 th century, it was not enough to consult the Bible or ancient Greek authors in order to understand how things worked.

Philosophers and scientists based their work on these principles: - Empiricism: - According to Francis Bacon it was necessary to prove things by studying the evidence sistematically.

- Racionalism: - Descartes argued that we should use our reason to discover universal truths.

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Scientific progress was possible thanks to improvements in mathematics.

New scientific and measuring instruments were invented: -

The telescope allowed scentists to study the universe more accurately.

The microscope improved their knowledge of how the human body works.

The thermometer enabled people to measure teperature.

The barometer allowed them to measure atmospheric pressure.

3. THE SCIENTIFIC REVOLUTION -

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SCIENTIFIC ADVANCES Careful reflection and research led to scientific discoveries.

Scientific academies were created to promote investigation like the Royal Society of London and the French Academy of Sciences.

In the 16 th century, Copernicus had proposed theheliocentric theory that the Earth revolved around the Sun. Now, Kepler studied the movement of the planets and showed that their orbit was elliptical.

In physics: - Newton established the law of universal gravitation.

- Pascal established that the pressure in a liquid is trasmitted equally in all directions. (Pascal’s Law).

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In mathematics: - Descartes created analytic geometry.

- Leibniz invented infinitesimal calculus.

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In medicine: - Progress was made in anatomy thanks to he dissection of corpses.

- Harvey discoverd the circulation of the blood.