Paola Viera August-13-2012
AP World History 9 Assignment C
Galileo Galilei

Galileo Galilei, born on February 15, 1554, in Pisa, Italy, and son of Vincenzo Galilei, was the first born of six children. In the early 1570’s, when Galileo was still a small boy, he and his family moved to Florence, Italy. For a brief time, Galileo studied priesthood, but soon abandoned his study in search of another at the University of Pisa in 1581.
During his time spent at the university, he began his study of the pendulum. In result of this, in 1602, Galileo made a notable discovery about the pendulum. He discovered that the period in which the pendulum swings back and forth does not depend on the arc of the swing. Following this discovery, Galileo indulged more into the study of time intervals. Galileo indulged in the study of Aristotelian physics. After further study and questioning about the approach, Galileo was eventually able to disprove that heavier objects fall faster through a medium than light ones. He was able to conclude this by series of experiments including dropping objects of different weights at certain heights. Another experiment relating to his study of motion and time intervals, involved rolling balls down a gentle slope and recording their positions at certain times. Most if not all of his discoveries and conclusions on motion were written down in his book, De Motu, which is Italian for, “On Motion.”
In 1592, after over ten years at the University of Pisa, Galileo became a mathematics professor in the University of Padua. Since the university was so close to the sea, Galileo was able to visit Venetian ships. Intrigued by the technology, and well known for his intelligence, he was presented with a setback about the placement of oars in galleys. Using the oar itself as a lever and the water as a support. Pleased with his make shift answer, Galileo eventually made a pump that solved the problem within a year of the presented problem.
Although Galileo’s inventions aren’t even close to underrated, none are quite as acknowledged so much as his telescope. The only telescopes around the time of his study were able to amplify objects three times. Galileo created a telescope that could amplify objects twenty times. With this much amplification, the moon could be seen in a different light, the four satellites of Jupiter were discovered by Galileo himself, sunspots were discovered, and scientist were able to witness a supernova before their very eyes. He was finally able to disprove the geocentric model and prove the Copernican System, that the planets revolve around the sun.
The Copernican System was not believed by the Catholic Church, and a committee of consultants presented to the Inquisition that belief in the Copernican System was unorthodox and unlawful. Galileo was told that he was not allowed to defend the