Galileo Galilei: First Physicist

Oxford Science Portraits

by James MacLachlan

The scientific innovations of Galileo Galilei are pivotal to our understanding of the laws of the natural world. Drawing on his diverse studies in philosophy, mathematics, mechanics, music, astronomy, and engineering, Galileo developed revolutionary theories that thoroughly changed the
disciplines of physics, mathematics, astronomy, and technology. Galileo Galilei traces the great scientist's education, describes his maverick experiments in Padua and Pisa, and recreates the ingenious pathway of his famous discoveries. Often censored and imprisoned for his radical ideas that
clashed with fundamental Church doctrines, Galileo persisted in his pursuit of scientific truths to bestow upon future generations the inspiration to challenge conventional views. His theories about the motions of falling bodies, his study of pendulums, and his major discoveries in astronomy made
with a self-built telescope are all clearly explained in this volume. Heavily illustrated with photographs, graphics, and technical schemes, Galileo Galilei also features a number of sidebars elucidating important details of the great man's contributions.

Oxford Portraits in Science is a collection of scientific biographies for young adults. Written by top scholars and writers, each biography examines the personality of its subject as well as the thought process leading to his or her discoveries. These illustrated biographies combine accessible
technical information with compelling personal stories to portray the scientists whose work has shaped our understanding of the natural world.

Genres: Biography, Nonfiction, Science, Physics, History

128 pages, Paperback

First published October 16, 1997

About the author

James MacLachlan is a retired Professor of History at Ryerson Polytechnical Institute.

Reviews

[Petr Vařeka]

Galileo was a pioneer, mathematician, experimental physicist (one of the first), but above all an astronomer. The telescope he built had a magnification of 20x and with it he made ground-breaking observations of the Sun, Moon and planets. His observations fundamentally changed our understanding of the Universe. If you like astronomy, read chapter three. If you are interested in the history of science, you will enjoy this book very much. Topic+narrative style+pictures+explanatory notes= 5 stars.

[Pranav]

This biography was overall very good. It did a very good job of explaining Galileo's full life, including his squabbles with the Catholic Church and his health problems. What makes this book truly good, though, is that this book includes explanations of some Galileo's theorems, complete with pictures and how it stands up today. The theorems that aren't covered in the main part of the book are covered in the back of the book. Overall, this book goes above and beyond the standard biography, and I really learned a lot about Galileo from reading this book.

[John Millard]

Wow! Generally I do not worry or think about history much. I learned a certain history in my public education (same story told 3 times over). For instance it does not matter to me that the Pilgrams did not actually land on Plymouth Rock. I assume they did not but for the sake of visiting that part of the world claiming that spot is as good as any for me. This book on the history and life of Galileo Galilei I found very interesting and great fun. It is embarrassing for the Catholic Church and Jesuits in particular. Religion being institutions of power that act to keep that power is not a new concept and has been seen throughout history. Taking 200 years to take one of Galileo's books off the "banned book list" is especially embarrassing however. What a determined and doggedly tenacious man he must have been. I read some of the math which is included for those who can comprehend it. I can comprehend some of it but not all and am not interested in proving anything to myself in that arena. He had to make his own clocks for doing experiments. He had to grind his own glass to make telescopes to view the heavens (moon, planets and moons of planets). Everything took longer for him. He was criticized by foes and often took two years or more to respond in writing to those criticisms. Galileo's accomplishments remind me of the cumulative buildup of information that is the world of science. Future generations need to learn all that came before in order to understand and eventually elaborate on extending this knowledge. I remember being in college and feeling that there was so much to learn before one would truly feel invested with time and the thrill of knowing enough to ponder in a playful fashion. Sadly I never got to that point probably due to my lack of effort and possibly a lack of innate talent. Anyway, books like this I can comprehend and appreciate. Galileo was truly the Jackie Robinson of physics and he suffered in a similar fashion, not from fans (or foes) in a stadium but from those who had power based on superstition and fought to keep that power. Galileo Galilei is a true hero who fought for truth and understanding which is what we should all be fighting for.

[Nathan]

Synopsis - This book is about the main accomplishments of Galileo.

Classification -
Audience: Older people
Purpose: Information
Medium: Novel
Genre - Setting: Nonfiction
Genre - Style: Documentary
Genre - Plot: Biography

Criticism - It was a pretty good book. I didn't expect this from a Nonfiction book since i hate them so much, so I was surprised by this novel.

[Subhani A. Hussein]

The life of an awesome genius!