Great Physicists · Classical
Galileo
The father of modern science: experiments with falling bodies and inclined planes, the telescope discoveries of 1609–10, the case for a Sun-centered system, the trial of 1633, and why measurement plus mathematics beat authority.
Step 1 of 6 · Overview35 min read ·
Key idea
Prereqs: History of science; Gravity & orbits. Next: Newton. Sources: Galileo's *Sidereus Nuncius* (1610), *Dialogue* (1632) and *Two New Sciences* (1638); John Heilbron's *Galileo* (2010); Dava Sobel's *Galileo's Daughter*.Next: 1. Life