Scientific Revolution
How did the Renaissance and Age of
Exploration help pave the way for the
Scientific Revolution?
Renaissance: scholars uncovered
many classical manuscripts and the
printing press was introduced to
Europe.
Exploration: seeing new lands,
peoples, and animals made people
curious; navigators needed better
instruments and geographical
measurements.
Scientists
Nicolaus Copernicus: heliocentric
theory
Johannes Kepler: elliptical orbits
of the planets
Galileo Galilei: law of the
pendulum, objects fall at the same
speed no matter their weight,
supported theories of Copernicus
Isaac Newton: law of gravity
Developments
 Scientific instruments: microscope
(observation of bacteria and red blood
cells), barometer, thermometer
(Fahrenheit then Celsius)
 Medicine: autopsy (detailed drawings of
organs, bones, and muscles), the function
of heart and blood vessels, and the
development of vaccines
 Chemistry: Boyle’s law, oxygen is
separated from air and given its name
Scientific Method
 Francis Bacon: introduces the
experimental method to better understand
the world
 Rene Descartes: analytical geometry
relied on math and logic; “I think,
therefore I am”
 Modern: observation + experimentation
+ general laws expressed by math = a
better understanding