In this episode we look at the work in mathematics and physics of Isaac Newton from his time at the University of Cambridge to the publication of the Philosophae Naturalis Principia Naturalis or "Mathematical Principles of Natural Philosophy". Specifically we look at the development of fluxional calculus, the Universal Law of Gravitation and Newton's Three Laws of Motion.
This week we consider the work of Jesuit astronomers across Europe and around the world before returning to a discussion of weighing the heliocentric and geoheliocentric models of the solar system.
In this episode, we look at the work of four men who bridge the period between Galileo Galilei and Isaac Newton: Giovanni Battista Riccioli, Rene Descartes, Christiaan Huygens and Robert Hooke. In this discussion we pay particular attention to each man's work in physics that will set the stage for Newton's great synthesis.
We examine the events leading up to the heresy conviction of Galileo Galilei in 1633.
In this episode we look at the 25 months leading up to the Congregation of the Inquisition censuring the two propositions related to the work of Copernicus; namely that the Earth moves and the Sun does not. We specifically examine the Letter to Castello and Foscarini's Letter as well as the role of Galileo's work and Letter to the Grand Duchess Christina in the proceedings and what follows.
In the tradition of the Icelandic custom of Jolabokaflod, we read one of the earliest works of science fiction-Johannes Kepler's The Somnium. Break out some chocolate and settle in for an hour-long journey to the Moon.
In the first part of a three episode series on the emerging conflict involving Galileo, the Aristotelian natural philosophers of the Italian universities and the Catholic Church, we examine the factors that would lead to the initial confrontation of 1615 and 1616. These will include a debate that led to a fundamental revaluation of hydrology and a priority dispute on the discovery of sunspots. Finally, we discuss the piece of information that may have led to Galileo's open support of the Coperni...
In this supplemental episode, we look at the study of hydraulics related to pulling water up a pipe by Galileo Galilei. This leads us to the development of the mercury barometer by Torricelli and the investigations of atmospheric pressure and vacuums by Blaise Pascal and Florin Perier. This, in turns leads us to the work of von Geuricke and Robert Boyle.
In our third episode discussing the Scientific Revolution we look at the development of the linguistic device we call the fact from Latin legal ideas. We consider the work of Kepler and Galileo as well as the thinking of Blaise Pascal, Thomas Hobbes and Robert Boyle.
This week we look at the development of the idea of mathematics as a way to represent reality through perspective painting and accounting. We also discuss the rise of the idea of laws of nature as the way in which the natural world was understood.
In this episode we take a look at the Scientific Revolution through the lens of David Wooten' thesis that the most important trigger for the rapid scientific development of the 16th and 17th centuries was Christopher Columbus' discovery of the New World.
In the final part of the part of our biography of Johannes Kepler, we look at his scientific work from 1612 to his death in 1630 including the Epitome of Copernicus, Harmonice Mundi and the Rudolphine Tables. We consider the accusations of witchcraft against his mother, Katharina, and a number of other personal tragedies. In conclusion we discuss the Somnium, Kepler's work of science fiction.
In part three of our biography of Johannes Kepler we look at his years in Prague and the scientific work he did there including Astronomiae Pars Optica, Dioptrice and Astronomia Nova. We discuss how he arrived at his first two laws of planetary motion and his description of how lenses produce images in various optical systems including the eye. We also follow the personal tragedy of the death of his son Frederick, how wife Barbara and the chaos that eventually engulfed Prague.
In part 2 of our biography of Johannes Kepler we look at the mathematician and astronomer's time in Graz and with Tycho Brahe in Prague. We specifically look at Kepler's role in the conflict between Brahe and Nicolas Reimars Bar (aka, Ursus).
Part 1 of our biography of of Johannes Kepler covering his early life from his seminary schooling to his time in Graz.
This week we dock in Venice for a questions and answers episode wherein I talk about podcasting, understanding quantum mechanics, the origin of the universe, and the evidence for human activity causing climate change. Also address questions about how doing the podcast has affected my teaching and where some of the strange things in academia come from. I also tell the story of the time I ran out of food but was saved by a do-it-yourself carwash in the middle of nowhere.
A discussion of the astronomical observation of Galileo Galilei and the escalating conflict with the Aristotelian Scholastics that dominated the Italian universities in the late 16th and early 17th centuries. Specifically, we discuss the 1604 nova and Galileo's telescopic observations of 1609 including those of the Moon, Jupiter and the phases of Venus.
This week we take a look at the early life and work of Tuscan natural philosopher and engineer, Galileo Galilee. We examine his investigations on motion, specifically falling bodies, that will lead him into the initial stages of conflict with the Aristotelian natural philosophers of the Scholastic universities of Italy. We will also examine the steps of scientific inquiry he developed as a part of his work.
This week we take a break from the scientific narrative to look at the events following the Protestant Reformation in the Holy Roman Empire. We specifically discuss the Peace of Augsburg, The Inquisition, The Counter Reformation and the Thirty Years War before turning to a brief account of the life of Giordano Bruno and the German witch trials.
In this episode we look at the work of Johannes Kepler and his three Laws of Planetary Motion. We discuss the principles that motivated his work and his idea that forces were responsible for the motion of the planets around the Sun.
In this final episode devoted to the life of the Danish astronomer, Tycho Brahe, we look at his conflict with Nicolaus Reimers Bar (aka Ursus) as well as a number of other factors that led him to depart the island of Hven and eventually land in Prague where he would spend the last two years of his life.
This week we look at the construction of Uraniborg on the island of Hven and the astronomical work done on it. We also discuss the ideas that informed the facility's founding and the social structure that supported its construction and operation. Tycho's observatory and laboratory was the premier scientific research institution of its time and it marked a transition in how science was done throughout Europe.
In Part 1 of our biography of the Danish astronomer, Tycho Brahe, we follow his life from the keeps and fortresses of his homeland to the universities of Germany. We look into his interactions with the people around him including his wife, Kirsten Jorgensdatter, and look at the idea of amicitia that would so shape his worldview.
This week we look at the scientific work of Tycho Brahe and his Tychonic Model of the solar system.
This week we evaluate the Copernicus heliocentric model of the solar system and compare it to Ptolemy's geocentric model. We then look at the model's reception by Erasmus Reinhold, Gemma Frisius, Michael Maestlin and Tycho Brahe. We conclude with Brahe's observations of the supernova of 1572 and the Great Comet of 1577.
A continuation of the the biographies of Nicolas Copernicus and Georg Joachim Rheticus from the time of the two men's meeting through the end of Rheticus' life and the publication of his trigonometric tables. Rheticus' work on the Narratio and the publication will be discussed as will the tragic outcomes of his career. The timely encounter with Valentin Otto is also covered.
The first part of a biographical examination of the two men who started the Scientific Revolution, Nicolas Copernicus and Georg Joachim Rheticus.
In this episode we take a look at the scientific work of Nicolas Copernicus including the Commentariolus and On the Revolutions of the Heavenly Spheres. We look at the foundational principles of Copernicus' Heliocentric System and how it explains the motions of the planets.
A more in-depth look at the lives of Georg Peuerbach, Johannes de Regio Monte (aka, Johanes Muller, aka Regiomontanus) and Cardinal Basilios Bessarion with a specific focus on the years between 1454 and 1476. The development of the Epitome of the Almagest is discussed as is the role of astrology in late medieval and early modern culture, specifically in relation to the practice of medicine.
We take a look at NASA's JUNO Mission and the news of last night's successful orbital insertion as well as the science mission to come.
