By: Sidney Stutzman

Galileo formed his theories by using a telescope to observe objects in space. He is well know for astronomy, physics, and his scientific thought.  He was born in Pisa, Italy on February 25, 1564.  His parents were Vincenzio Galilei and Giulia Ammannati.  Galileo started his education in 1574 in a nearby monastery.  In 1581 he studied medicine at the University of Pisa.  In Pisa around 1583 there was only one notable science teacher and his name was Francesco Buonamico.  He taught Galileo the idea of Aristotle. The Galilei’s were in slight financial difficulty so Galileo had to quit the University of Pisa before he got his diploma.  Galileo went to Florence, Italy and looked for a job being a teacher for mathematics or physics.  A short time after he published two works one was The Little Balance was about hydrostatic principles of balance .  The other was a study of the center of gravity of various solids (Galileo Biography).  Galileo crucial observations proved the Copernican hypothesis, and also laid the foundations for a correct understanding of how objects moved on the surface of the earth and of gravity (The Telescope).  Aristotle believed the Universe, planets, and the stars were perfect spheres though Earth itself was not. He thought that the movements of the planets and stars must be circular since they were perfect and if the motions were circular, then they could go on forever.  Copernicus’ heliocentric system put the Sun at the center of the system.  He also including the idea that the Earth rotates on its axis.  Scholars found his research to different and only used part of his theory. Those who did study his work often did so in secret. They were called Copernicans (Early).  Galileo died on January 8, 1585 at the age of 77 from fever and heart palpitations (Galileo).