Although looking at Galileo’s learning curve may incite us to defenestrate ourselves because of its incomprehensible genius, we have to admit Galileo remains as one of the most distinguished figures in modern-day science. What does mesmerize us is that, sporadically, he too would make the odd miscalculation or misinterpretation, for example: his theory of tides, which asserted the presence of only one high and low tide each day. Yet his contributions grandly outnumber his errors. Galileo ameliorated the telescope by intensifying its magnification from 30 to 300, he discovered the Medicean Planet, he developed the thermoscope to quantify hot and cold, he developed the heliocentric model of our solar system as well as inventing a geometric compass and developing his pendulum theory and penultimately publishing a series of books publicizing his scientific views and theories. Galileo had to endure and vanquish various altercations with the church. His heliocentric beliefs were considered unorthodox as they challenged and opposed the Church’s convictions regarding geocentrism. Galileo was brazen enough to disregard the accusations of heresy and persisted to dispute and counter Aristotelian beliefs. Where would have been, today, without the presence of telescopes, thermometers and scientific instruments? Who knows, perhaps we would still be existing in this aura of incomprehension and inaccurate information. Conceivably, we would trust Aristotelian physics and mock those supporting heliocentrism, just like the church did, branding them as ignorant and obdurate. Galileo contributed in the areas of kinematics, dynamics, heliocentrism as well as telescopic observational astronomy. He has left behind, not only a base for the development of further scientific inventions, theories and physics but also a mentality for investigation and experimentation.
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