12 contributions of Galileo Galilei to the world of science

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

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

Contributions of Galileo Galilei there are many, but the main ones, widely known, are the ones that we are going to see next.

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Who was Galileo Galilei?

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and the entire Church Catholic ensuring that some ideas that had been well established in the West for centuries were no longer valid.

Although he had to recant many of his discoveries to save his life, living out 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 recognized his error, publicly asking Galilei for forgiveness and rehabilitating him, 359 years after having condemned him.

Main contributions of Galileo Galilei

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

1. Microscope

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

Although this instrument was still very crude, called an ochiollino, and was not technically a microscope, allowed him to see small objects.

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

2. telescope improvement

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 just a year later., making it up to thirty times better. He came to manufacture them almost in a chain, having made up to fifty more in a very short time.

3. geometric compass

It is one of the first inventions of this genius, as well as being one of the instruments that allowed him to acquire some fame and, most importantly, money. In addition to selling it, Galileo Galilei made a business of teaching how to use it.

Thanks to the geometric compass, it was possible to make geometric figures with greater ease and precision than in the past, in addition to being able to do complex mathematical calculations with it. It had a warlike purpose, allowing to calculate the trajectory of the cannon bullets.

4. Pendulum

Galileo Galilei studied the movement of the pendulum and its oscillations. He got the idea by watching the movement of the bells of the Pisa cathedral, which were swayed 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, the important thing was the length of the rope that held it.

5. Scientific revolution

His attitude towards the ecclesiastical powers of the time is well known. Despite the fact that 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 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 dying; however, with his opposition to the 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 as we see it today.

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6. Contributions to the Copernican theory

In relation to the previous point, Galileo Galilei he studied the theories of nicolas Copernicus about the movement of the stars, refuting the religious belief that the Earth was the center of the entire Universe.

Thanks to the telescope improvements carried out by this Italian scientist, the true movement of the planets could be demonstrated with empirical tests.

7. Scientific method

Galileo Galilei is considered the father of the scientific method., which served him to crash against preconceived beliefs and a thought pulling towards the conservatism characteristic of Renaissance Catholicism.

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

8. law of motion

The first law of motion, later posited by Isaac Newton, was the object of study of Galileo Galilei.

Through his research, the Italian scientist understood that it did not matter the mass of the object in the empty, viewing motion as basically the combination of acceleration and speed of the object itself.

The movement was carried out thanks to the application of a force, which made the object move from point A to point B taking a certain period of time. If no force was applied to the system, then it was at rest.

9. law of the fall

Following with others of his studies in the field of physics, Galileo Galilei studied how forces may be responsible for the acceleration of an object, allowing you to understand the forces of gravity.

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

10. Jupiter satellites

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, watching 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 not a few who dared to study the spots of the king 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. moon studies

With the studies of the Moon that he carried out, Galileo Galilei contributed great advances to the field of astronomy, studying both the movement of the satellite and the time it took to be fully illuminated and totally dark.

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

• You may be interested in: "80 phrases about the Moon, its mysteries and its meaning"

Bibliographic references:

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