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 * Which of the achievements of the Scientific Revolution was the most significant? **

Please provide your views on this statement. Please type your name after you have provided your views.

The scientific method was the most significant achievement of the Scientific Revolution.

The scientific method laid the foundation for the study of science by helping to standardize the study of science (i.e. the thought process and procedure). Complied by Isaac Newton, with significant contributions from Bacon and Descartes, the scientific method was an ideal way to conduct scientific investigation. The scientific method emphasized observation and the use of mathematics for proof. This way, theories could be tested, proven or disproved. It resulted in the collection of more reliable data and thus scientists were able to make better conclusions. Other scientists can then use the data available to them to explain certain phenomena and conduct further investigations. The invention of the scientific method also encouraged more people to look for answers to their questions through independent experimentation, instead of looking into the Bible for answers. By mid 17th century, the scientific method offered a promise of certainty that was not to be found anywhere else at that time. Hence, the scientific method boosted the study of science by giving people the confidence to discover and giving them a means to do so, making it the most significant achievement of the scientific Revolution.

May 308
 * Response:**

I believe that the establishment of the law of universal gravitation by Issac Newton was the most significant achievement of the Scientific Revolution.

Newton's law of gravitation which states that every massive particle in the universe attracts every other massive particle with a force which is directly proportional to the product of their masses and inversely proportional to the square of the distance between them, gave humans the understanding of the fundamental force that governs the universe. Newton's law of gravitation provided an explanation for daily observations such as why objects would always fall to the ground when released, and also went further to show that this force was also the same force that pulled the earth towards the sun, thus proving the idea of heliocentrism which up till then was still under much debate as no one had ever been able to provide proof for it. This paradigm shift from an earth-centered universe to a sun-centered one was thus a huge step forward in the Scientific Revolution.

In addition, the law of gravitation also showed geographers that the earth was not a perfect sphere, thus altering the nature of map making. The mathematics of gravity could also be used to predict the ebb and flow of tides, even in waters where European ships had never sailed. This then led to a gigantic leap in an age of seaborne empires and maritime trade.

As such, the law of universal gravitation was the most significant achievement of the Scientific Revolution as it provided people with a better understanding of how the universe worked, as well as laid the foundations for further discoveries about the universe to be made.

Posted by: Low Yi Xian

In my opinion, I think the most significant achievement of the Scientific Revolution lies in astronomy, which is the establishment of a heliocentrism model. Though it is obvious that this model is still quite far from what we know today, it proves to be of great significance to the development of the contemporary society.Astronomy is a most ancient subject. For thousands of years, the geocentrism model of the cosmos posed by Aristotle and Ptolemy remained unchallenged. At the same time, the astronomy was also closely related to people's life and work--they count on the sky for agriculture, for raising livestock, for sailing, for observing the time and so on. Thus, the development of astronomy is somewhat sure to progress rapidly. However, astronomy was also a very sensitive subject at that time. Especially in the late Middle Ages, when the geocentrism theory of Ptolemy was further "mysterilized" by the church, saying that it's God's will to place humans in the middle of the universe so as to let us govern all things,and that God is full of wisdom and we are special in his eyes. As a result, the geocentrism was seen as the even more certain authority and it hampered the development of astronomy. However, the calender which was generated from this earth-centered model was proving to be greatly flawed. At this time, Copernicus came up with the earliest model of a heliocentrism model. I would say that this was the time when astronomy progressed into a new era. After this, the astronomy experienced rapid development, becoming the subject in which the most number of models had been made. Brahe recorded the most systematic observations of the stars; Kepler found out the shape of the real orbit, the change in the speed of the revolving planets and gave evidence to Newton's gravitation; Galileo further supported the sun-centered universe and derived from the astronomy to work on force and motion; and at last, Sir Isaac Newton wrapped it all up by stating the most prominent gravitation theory. All of the steps all interlinked and none of them could happen in the absence of the others. It was the liberation from the geocentrism by the heliocentrism which sparked off the interest and curiosity of the people (by reducing the role of God, disproving the authoritie and stressing the importance&power of real science) and moreover, the future discoveries, which eventually led to the establishment of a widely-applied grivatation theory. It also influenced the development of other subjects in the SR, such as chemistry & medicine etc. Without the conducively free atmosphere provided by the advent of heliocentrism, the following discoveries are not very likely to occur. All in all, I believe that the heliocentrism was the greatest achievement.

--Zhang Peiwen

I think the most significant achievement was Newton showing how science can be used to improve humanity.

Newton's 3 laws of motion and universal law of motion proved to be very useful in daily applications. The law of gravitation which explained the ebb and flow of tides, helped people to predict tides, allowing smooth journey on ships even if the people were sailing to somewhere they have never been to,enabling trade to prosper and country to earn more revenue. His scientific discoveries also helped in engineering and designing of machine parts that allowed work to be done more efficiently and effortlessly, which eventually lead to the industrial revolution. The practicality of the sciencetific discovery not only lead to advances of mankind but also sparked off new interest in sciences, resulting in more people participating in scientific research and new discoveries being made.

Therefore, the practicality of science as shown by Isaac Newton was the most significant achievement as it had a great impact on various aspects. -Karen

I think the most significant achievement during the SR is the "discovery" of heliocentrism, or rather, the proof that our solar system is heliocentric, and no longer geo-centred, with the Sun and other planets moving around the Earth. The debate between heliocentrism and geocentrism lasted for a few decades, and along the way, many scientists observed the solar system and recorded their observations, finding answers to questions and proving old theories wrong by coming up with new theories. To prove either theory, many new facts were discovered. Firstly, the theory of heliocentrism that was suggested by Copernicus, or argued by some that it was suggested before that, broke away from Aristotle and Ptolemy's theory of geocentrism. The theory of geocentrism had been around for many years, and the suggestion of heliocentrism was a shock to the world, and many scientists could not accept it. It challenged the old ideas, something that was not usually done at that time, as many people followed the ideas without questioning them. This created uncertainty about the human role in the universe, as well as God's location in the solar system. This shows that Copernicus came up with new theories while proving that heliocentrism was correct. Secondly, Brahe advocated geocentrism, and observed the sky for over twenty years. He collected precise empirical observations, which made him reject both Aristotle and Ptolemy's ideas, as well as Copernicus'. He suggested that the moon and the Sun revolved around the Earth, and that the other planets revolved around the Sun. This led to more scientific discussion about the position of the planets in the solar system. His precise empirical observations allowed accurate astronomical and astrological predictions to be made more easily than in the old Ptolemaic system. This shows that many new facts (empirical observations) were discovered while Brahe was advocating geocentrism. Thirdly, Kepler supported the theory of heliocentrism. He used Brahe's precise empirical evidence, and came up with three laws (Firstly, that the planets had an elliptical orbit, and not a circular one; Secondly, that the speed of the planes incrases with a distance from the Sun; Thirdly, that the square of a planet's period of revolution is proportional to the cube of its average distance from the Sun). He also suggested that magnetic attractions between the Sun and planets keep the planets in orbital motion. He effectively eliminated the idea of uniform circular motion of the planets, and the idea of spheres moving in circular orbits. People had been freed to think in new ways of actual paths of planets revolving around the sun in elliptical orbits. Also, his suggestion of magnetic attraction paved the way for the law of universal gravitation (Isaac Newton) at the end of the 17th Century. This shows that while finding evidence of heliocentrism, Kepler was able to find answers to questions and come up with new theories, at the same time discovering many new facts. Fourthly, Galileo provided evidence of heliocentrism. From observing the solar system with a telescope, Galileo observed that the sun had sun spots(!) and many others drew conclusions about the solar system upon observing it and experimenting in the field of astronomy. He was able to prove that the Earth moved around the Sun by observing the changing phases of Venus and orbiting moons around Jupiter. This shows that Galileo was able to prove old theories wrong by finding evidence for Heliocentrism. He could not explain how the planets were able to revolve around the Sun constantly without moving away from it, and this led to the discovery of Newton about the law of gravitation, which was the law that was able to explain all the movement in the universe, and also helped mankind with its practical synthesis, such as the design of machinery parts and alteration of the nature of map making. when Sir Isaac Newton confirmed that the solar system was indeed heliocentric All in all, besides proving that ancient ideas are fallible, the debate between heliocentrism and geocentrism, and the process of finding evidence to support the two theories opened up the people to thinking/experimenting new things which they may never have questioned before. Also, as this issue was quite largely debated with quite a few people presenting their own theories, it spurred others into also studying science, and in the process invent better methods/ technology to help the progress of science. Heliocentrism VS Geocentrism kind of sparked of a new interest in scientific learning and renewed interest to find answers to question and to prove old theories and natural philosophers wrong. Hence I feel that the most significant achievement during the SR is the proof that the solar system is heliocentric as it paved the way for more scientific inquiry. -Yan Han - Dawne (edited Yan Han's, have the same opinion that the discovery of heliocentrism is the most significant :D)

(Yan Han's original I think the most significant achievement during the SR is the "discovery" of heliocentrism, or rather, the proof that our solar system is heliocentric, and no longer geo-centred. The debate between heliocentrism and geocentrism lasted for a very long time, and along the way, many scientists observed the solar system and to prove either theory, many new facts were discovered. From observing the solar system with a telescope, Galileo observed that the sun had sun spots(!) and many others drew conclusions about the solar system upon observing it and experimenting in the field of astronomy. When Sir Isaac Newton confirmed that the solar system was indeed heliocentric, besides proving that ancient ideas are fallible, it also opened up the people to thinking/experimenting new things which they may never have questioned before. Also, as this issue was quite largely debated with quite a few people presenting their own theories, it spurred others into also studying science, and in the process invent better methods/technology to help the progress of science. Heliocentrism VS Geocentrism kind of sparked of a new interest in scientific learning and renewed interest to find answers to question and to prove old theories and natural philosophers wrong. Hence I feel that the most significant achievement during the SR is the proof that the solar system is heliocentric as it paved the way for more scientific inquiry.)

In my opinion, I think that the most significant achievement of the Scientific Revolution was Sir Isaac Newton's discovery of the law of universal gravitation. Discovering the fact that there was a force acting (from a distance) on every object on Earth and that this force pulled it toward the core of the Earth helped to explain naturally-occurring phenomena, such as why objects fell to the ground. Furthermore, when applied to the universe, it helped to explain how the orbits of the various planets were kept in their elliptical orbits, thus helping to explain Kepler's theories on planetary motion. Gravity also helped to explain the tides on Earth and provided the people with a model that could predict when the different tides would come in, hence helping in sea exploration back then. With such far-reaching applications to our everyday lives, the discovery of gravity provided an elegant explanation to problems faced in many seemingly unrelated disciplines back then. Hence, I believe that this discovery sparked off a change in the way people viewed natural philosophy (or Science) and made people more interested in the field of physics as they began to see how it could be closely related to the other branches of learning. Hence, I feel that the most significant achievement of the Scientific Revolution was Newton's discovery of the law of universal gravitation as it removed the barriers placed between the various disciplines, showing that Science could be applied to almost any aspect of a person's life and paving the way for future advances in the field of classical physics. ---Cheah Qinrong

Newton had the greatest impact because... - He completed the last lap of Scientific discovery during SR - He invented Calculus //**(ONE OF HIS GREATEST CONTRIBUTIONS)**// - Gravity - Physical Science - Answered many baffling questions -> ideas had practical usage - Inspired many scientists after him - Combined Scientific Method (Descates Math and Bacon empiricism to prove his theory), deductive reasoning and inductive reasoning -> provided a reliable and systematic method for other 'natural philosophers' to conduct scientific experiments and research. - Provided reliable data and methods for other scientists to conduct further investigation on - Proved Galileo's ideas correct (?) - Showed others that scientific discoveries can be found through common occurrences - Brought out a relationship between Astronomy and Scientific Method - Invented Calculus - Theory of colour and light - Contributed to the Scientific Revolution - Improved upon on previous scientists' ideas - Concluded all the previous ideas and linked them together - added to the yearn for scientific discoveries

1) Sparked other discoveries 2) Confirmed the heliocentric theory (Made Aristotle obsolete) 3) Ideas and theories had practical applications (e.g. Measurement of tides, engineering etc.)

- Wang Chuning (point form now, edit later), 308 The Scientific Revolution occurred in the 16th to 17th century, and refers to the fundamental transformation in scientific ideas. New discoveries caused a drastic and far-reaching change in ways of thinking and behaving, correcting medieval thought and knowledge. Among the achievements of the Scientific Revolution, the most significant one would be the creation of the Copernican model. Nicolaus Copernicus, a careful mathematician and faithful Christian, proposed the heliocentric model for a more accurate explanation of the universe in a book, “On The Revolution of the Heavenly Spheres”. He did not believe that God would create the world as messily as Ptolemy’s model proposed, suggesting that the Earth revolves around the Sun (instead of vice versa). It was also noted that the farther the planets were from the Sun, the longer they take to revolve around it. The retrograde motions of planets were explained as an optical illusion that arose as people were observing planets from a moving Earth. This can be considered to be a very significant achievement of the Scientific Revolution, for it sparked off a new direction in the people’s understanding of the universe. The heliocentric model provided an intellectual springboard for criticism of the geocentric model. It raised serious questions about Aristotle’s astronomy and physics, which assumed the existence of an Earth-centered universe, and contronted the errors in Ptolemaic astronomy. In proposing a Sun-centered universe, he set in motion a chain of events that would produce the greatest revolution in thinking. During the 17th Century, the work of Kepler, Galileo and Newton would build upon his ideas, presenting more evidence to substantiate and improve upon them. These ideas eventually replaced the ideas of Aristotle with the modern view of astronomy and natural science. On a larger scale, the creation of the Copernican model also decreased mysticism. It led to uncertainty about the role of humans in the universe and God’s location. Humans were no longer seen as superior beings, and instead were a small part of the entire universe. Copernicus’ ideas led people to think that man was part of nature, and not its focus, contradicting the theories of the church. As a result, the Protestant church saw his ideas were seen as heretical and “On The Revolution of the Heavenly Spheres” was prohibited. These points illustrate the importance of Copernicus’ ideas in shaping our understanding of the universe today. In conclusion, the creation of the Copernican model was the most significant achievement of the Scientific Revolution. -Vivian Goh, 301

Kepler's achievements in describing orbits was the most significant in the Scientific Revolution. Kepler, using empirical observations from Tycho Brahe to formulate his theory on elliptical orbits which consisted of three principles: 1) The orbits were elliptical, 2) The area subtended by the arc is equal for an equal time frame, 3) The square of the period of revolution is proportional to the cube of the distance from the Sun. His discovery of the inverse relationship between a planet's distance from the Sun and speed was also significant. The notion of elliptical orbits broke away from the Copernican system whereby all orbits were circular and led to a paradigm shift of thought and perspective. In addition, he formulated the theory based on empirical observations which were reliable and concrete rather than mere speculation. He was perhaps, one of the first natural philosophers to have formulated prinicples based on observations and was a role model which future natural philosophers like Galileo emulated. The inverse relationship between the distance from the Sun and a planet's speed was significant as it paved the way for future natural philosophers such as Newton in the formulation of his law of gravitation, whereby he sought to explain that this was due to the gravitational pull the Sun exerted on planets.

Hence, as Kepler's achievements led to a paradigm shift from old theories, paved the way for empiricism and acted as a springboard for other natural philosophers, his achievements in describing elliptical orbits were the most significant in the Scientific Revolution.

-Zera, 301

i believe that the most significant discovery of scientific revolution was Galileo's achievements in both realm of astronomy and physics. he invented the telescope ,hence making astronomical work possible for the public. He used his invention to obseve the sky and hence proved mathematically Copernicus' heliocentrism- the planets ,including the earth,were revolving around the sun.also he discovered that jupiter has moons orbiting around it. despite of being denounced by the church ,Galileo was intrepid enough to challenge the accepted authorities - Aristotelian theory that the earth is the only body with heavenly spheres obiting around it,thus further proving to the public that antient authority was not infallible,thereby stimulating scientific work fuelled by the desire to discover the real truth about the universe. in this way he promoted the Copernicanism as well as inspired other scientists. In addition, Glieo claimed the equal speed of fall,and formulated the rough theory of inertia by carrying out practical experiment.This greatly contributed the Newton's impactful three laws of motion,which was applied for all the objects in the world. He also established the measurements and calculations that the distance and object falls from a resting position increases as square of the elapsed time,improved the design of telescope as mentioned above,etc. hence, Galileo 's discoveries contribution in correcting antient authorities and introducing new scientific apporaches was the most significant and impactful.

---yueyue 301

The most significant achievement of Scientific revolution is New astronomy. For more than 3,000 years, people believed in geocentrism that the sun, the stars and the planets moved around the earth. The revolutional discoveries in Astronomy changed Europeans to view the universe and their place in the universe in a brand new way. The shift from a earth-centered cosmo to a sun-centered cosmo is a big move made by those natural philosophers which had a greatly impact on people's life. The emergence ad

New discoveries in Astronomy proved to the public that ancient authorities werem't infallible. It

I think the father of the scientific revolution is Copernicus. The father of the scientific revolution refers to the person who played in fundamental role in causing or giving an impetus to the scientific revolution. Copernicus was the man who raised the idea of heliocentrism which was against Aristotelianism accepted for thousands of years. It not only broke away from the ancients but also questioned the idea that universe was especially designed for human by God. These led to 2 consequences. One is the more questioning about the ancient authority which inspired other scientists to work on this problem as well. Another one was the realization the Bible may not provide the accurate information about nature. Besides his impactful discoveries which played a fundamental role in the astronomy, he also provided mathematical proof which was also a very influential thing in the scientific revolution. He contributed a lot to the rise of status of mathematics which was considered as the language of science and basis of scientific method. It promoted the credibility of heliocentrism and theory proving in the later scientific studies. What Galileo, Kepler and Newton did, some parts were to add on or prove his theory, especially for Galileo and Kepler. Their research was mainly focused heliocentrism. Hence, Copernicus should be considered as the father of the scientific revolution in my point of view. Lin Qing

In my view, the invention of the Scientific method was the most significant achievement of the Scientific Revolution. The invention of scientific method constructed a rational system for scientific work which aims to ensure the validity of scientific studies by strict observation and reliable data as well as experiments to test the theory. The invention of the scientific method simplified and unified the process of scientific study. It benefited numerous scientific discoveries after that and played an important role in the further development of science.

Further more, it suggested natural philosophers to abandon the previous belief and explore new ideas through observation and mathematical approach. This has encouraged more people to look for answers without being restricted by the accepted theories.

Therefore, the invention of the scientific method was the most significant achievement of the scientific revolution, as it not only encouraged people to explore but also provided them with a system of exploring which paved the way for the development of science. ---Sun Xiaoning 301

To me, all of the achievements made during the Scientific Revolution were of great significance, each contributed to forwarding our scientific knowledge and ways of thinking in its own way. However, the singular most important achievement made during the Scientific Revolution was the advance in Astronomy, or more specifically, the discovery and acceptance of the heliocentric model of the universe. The heliocentric model of the universe was an revolutionary idea that changed the worldview of the people then in a few ways.

Firstly, it desrepudited the ancients. The heliocentric model went against the ideas classic greek natural philosopers such as Ptolemy and Aristotle, proving their major ideas wrong. This helped the scientists to move away from just relying on old knowledge and pushed them to discover and prove for themselves what really happens on Earth and in space.

It also helped to seperate science from theology and religion. This was a significant contribution as before, the Bible was used to explain everything. If observation proved the Bible wrong, people were told that the Bible must be right and their observations wrong. This had hindered scientific development or even prevented scientists from lobbying for their discoveries and was finally put to a stop when the heliocentric unverse proved that the explaination of nature is not necessarily linked with theology or found in the Bible.

Lastly, the heliocentric model also humbled humans in a way and led them to see the world in a different light. This was as Earth was moved from its special position at the centre to just another planet that revolved around the sun. This led humans to reflect on their position in the universe and also the role of animals and plants around them. There was thus a major change in the way the human race saw themselves. Instead of gods chosen ones, they are now more commenly regarded as a species of living things on Earth, terrestial planet revolving aroung the middle-aged, average star, the sun.

Due to the above three points, I believe that the introduction and acceptance of the heliocentric model of the unverse was the most significant achievment during the Scientific Revolution.

-Ziwei (Miss Liu)-