Galileo and Einstein
Lecture
Notes by Michael Fowler
Link
to 2007 Homepage
Summary of the Course
The course explores two revolutions in our perception of the universe. The
first, in which Galileo played the leading role, was the realization that what
we see in the heavens -- the moon, the planets, the sun and stars -- are physical
objects. For example, the moon has a rocky surface, not unlike some parts of
earth, and is not made of some exotic ethereal substance, as had been generally
believed before Galileo. This discovery led to the realization that the motions
of the moon and planets obeyed the same physical laws as ordinary things
moving on earth.
The second revolution was Einstein's realization that this was not the whole truth -- space and time are not as straightforward as they first appear, but are related to each other in a simple but unexpected way. Among other results, this leads to the surprising consequence that mass and energy are different aspects of the same thing!
The course will follow the development of ideas approximately in the historical sequence. It will begin by reviewing some of the Greek contributions to math and science, which were essential to both Galileo and Einstein in their work. We shall prove -- and find very useful -- Pythagoras' theorem, and a few other ideas about triangles. We shall also look at Greek ideas about the solar system, and how they measured the distance to the moon quite accurately (using the ideas about triangles!).
We shall do some of Galileo's experiments which led to understanding motions
of projectiles, and show how
Overview and Lecture Index
Galileo's Ideas
in His Own Words (well, in translation)
- Two New Sciences
- Selections from Two New Sciences, with commentary
Applets!
Flashlets! (Applets
Written in Flash)
Check out my course on Modern Physics : it overlaps this course somewhat on Relativity, but then goes on to Quantum Theory. It is an introductory course for physics majors, but many of the lectures are at the same general level as this course.
The NASA Galileo Jupiter probe: this spacecraft has recently taken some fascinating closeups of Jupiter's moons.
General Planetary Information.
The Galileo Project, by Albert van Helden, the translator and editor of our Sidereus Nuncius text, provides information about Galileo's life and work. The project includes a section about Galileo's daughter, Maria Celeste, with the text of her letters to Galileo, as translated by Dava Sobel, author of Galileo's Daughter.
