12 contributions of Galileo Galilei to the world of science.

Several of the contributions to humanity and science that this researcher made.

The figure of Galileo Galilei has never gone unnoticed. This great Renaissance thinker and scientist contributed, with his theories and inventions, to today's vision of the universe, laying the foundations of modern astronomy.

His life was very prolific and he never stood still, designing new devices that allowed him to get closer to the true nature of the world in which he lived. However, it was also because of this that he had more than one run-in with the Catholic Church.

Galileo Galilei's contributions are many.but the main ones, widely known, are the ones we are going to see below.

Who was Galileo Galilei?

Galileo Galilei was an Italian mathematician, astronomer, physicist and inventor born in Pisa in 1564. He was one of the great minds of the Renaissance.He was also known for having dared to defy the Inquisition tribunal and the entire Catholic Church, assuring that some ideas that had been well established in the West for centuries were no longer valid.

Although he had to retract many of his discoveries to save his life, living his last years in the shadows and in shame, being considered a liar, today his contributions to science are widely recognized. His importance has been such that in 1992 the Catholic Church acknowledged his mistake, asking for Galilei's public forgiveness.Galilei, publicly apologizing to Galilei and rehabilitating him, 359 years after having condemned him.

Galileo Galilei's main contributions

Galileo Galilei's work is very extensive, like that of any great Renaissance figure of the stature of Leonardo da Vinci or Michelangelo. However, we will now look at his main contributions and inventions, which have helped to shape science. have helped shape science into the form science the way it has come down to us today.

1. Microscope

Galileo Galilei is well known for having contributed greatly to the understanding of nature through something as simple as lenses. He made many lenses of all sizes and curvature, which allowed him to design a kind of microscope.

Although this instrument was still very rudimentary, called an ochiollino, and was not technically a microscope, it allowed him to see objects of reduced size..

However, it must be said that the authorship of the first true microscope has been widely debated, with Zacharias Janssen, Robert Hooke and Anton van Leeuwenhoek being some of the men who made improvements to this apparatus.

Improvement of the telescope

Galilei did not invent the telescope but he did manage to make great improvements to this instrument, allowing him to have a better observation of sidereal phenomena.

The first telescope was known in 1609, but Galilei improved it considerably only a year later, making it up to thirty times better.making it up to thirty times better. He went on to manufacture them almost in a chain, having made up to fifty more in a very short time.

3. Geometric compass

This is one of the first inventions of this genius, besides being one of the instruments that allowed him to acquire some fame and, most importantly, money. In addition to selling it, Galileo Galilei was in business by teaching how to use it.

Thanks to the geometric compass, it was possible to make geometric figures with greater ease and accuracy than in the past, in addition to being able to make complex mathematical calculations with it. It was used in warfare, making it possible to calculate the trajectory of cannonballs.

4. Pendulum

Galileo Galilei studied the motion of the pendulum and its oscillations. He got the idea by observing the movement of the bells of the cathedral of Pisa, which were rocked by the wind.

So, in 1583 he studied the pendulum. He realized that the weight of the ball or object of the pendulum did not matter, what was important was the length of the rope that held it..

5. Scientific revolution

His attitude towards the ecclesiastical powers of the time is well known. Although Galileo Galilei had been raised in the Catholic faith, this did not prevent him from showing his theories and discoveries, which went against the Catholic Church.

At a time when the Earth was thought to be the center of the Universe, he refuted it, saying that our planet was no more than the center of the Universe.He refuted it, saying that our planet was just another star revolving around the Sun.

This led to his arrest and he was nearly burned at the stake. He had to recant to avoid death; however, with his opposition to taken-for-granted beliefs, he succeeded in starting a true scientific revolution.

Many great thinkers of the time sided with Galilei, and delved into his theories and hypotheses, shaping science and contributing to its conception.and contributed to the way science is conceived as we see it today.

6. Contributions to the Copernican theory

In connection with the previous point, Galileo Galilei studied the theories of Nicolaus Copernicus on the motion of the stars, refuting the religious belief in the Copernican theory.Galileo Galileo Galileo Galileo Galileo Galilei, refuting the religious belief that the Earth was the center of the entire Universe.

Thanks to the improvements of the telescope carried out by this Italian scientist, it was possible to demonstrate with empirical evidence the true movement of the planets.

7. Scientific Method

Galileo Galilei is considered the father of the scientific method.He tried to be as objective as possible, guided by mathematics and rigorous observation of natural phenomena.

He tried to be as objective as possible, guided by mathematics and rigorous observation of natural phenomena.

8. Law of motion

The first law of motion, later proposed by Isaac Newton, was the subject of Galileo's study.was the subject of study by Galileo Galilei.

Through his investigations, the Italian scientist understood that the mass of the object in a vacuum did not matter, seeing motion as basically the combination of acceleration and speed of the object itself.

The motion was realized by the application of a force, which caused the object to move in a vacuum.which caused the object to move from point A to point B in a given period of time. If no force was applied to the system, then it was at rest.

9. Law of the fall

Following his other studies in the field of physics, Galileo Galilei studied how forces can be responsible for the acceleration of an object, allowing him to understand the forces of gravity.

When an object falls, it progressively accelerates as it falls.. This acceleration is due to the force of gravity.

10. Satellites of Jupiter

In 1610 Galileo Galilei discovered the moons of Jupiter. He saw how four luminous points were close to this planet, thinking at first that they were stars.

However, later, seeing how they moved in the night sky, he concluded that they had to be satellites of Jupiter: Io, Europa, Ganymede and Callisto..

11. Sunspots

Although it may seem surprising, in the Renaissance there were many who dared to study the sunspots of the sun. It must be said that, although Galileo was not the one who made the first discovery, he did know how to take advantage of the work of others.

12. Studies of the Moon

With his studies of the moon, Galileo Galilei brought great advances to the field of astronomy, studying both the motion of the satellite and the time it took to be fully illuminated and fully dark. and fully dark.

He also saw how the Moon had a geography similar to that of the Earth, with its craters, mountains and valleys.

Bibliographical references:

• Artigas, M. and Shea, W. R. (2009). The Galileo case. Myth and reality. Encuentro.
• Cheraqui, Y. (1990). I, Galileo, mathematician and Florentine philosopher who, in front of everyone, had the audacity to face the truth of the firmament. Madrid: Anaya.