Galileo Of Galilei

Michael McConnell World History –Honors Persuasive Speech Galileo of Galilei By definition, the greatest scientist is someone who we classify as the most accomplished during a certain period in time; and during the Scientific Revolution only one man fit that profile – Galileo of Galilei. He not only was an inventor, scholar, and clergymen, he also was a scientist. Many of his most notable accomplishments include his perfected telescope, factual affirmation of the heliocentric theory, and his Law of Pendulums. Galileo was a very busy man during the Scientific Revolution. He is the most qualified man for this award due to the importance of his inventions, his advancement in astronomy, and his work on the study of objects in motion. Galileo both proved and disproved the ideas of many men during the scientific revolution. He reaffirmed the ideas of Copernicus and heliocentric motion but also denounced Copernicus and his work claiming that his ideas were incomplete. He did not invent the telescope, however he improved it and it was used not only to study the motions of the planets, but in his home country and in Venice it was used as a protection measure to predict attacks! The telescope was based on the basic idea that it magnified objects to more than thirty times their magnification, which then caused things far away to be easily seen. The telescope has many practical uses. Galileo also became fascinated with how chandeliers swung back and forth in churches. He stated that when a chandelier, or pendulum, swings it takes longer for it to go back to its rest position than it does to its second position. This meant that when the pendulum began to swing, it lost momentum when it came back to its original position in its back swing. This was due to wind resistance and gravity. However Galileo also noted that no matter how long it took for the pendulum to finish one full cycle, it always took the same amount of time, though slowing down its cycles each time. Finally he proved the heliocentric theory. The heliocentric theory stated that the sun was the center of the universe, not the earth (geocentric). He used drawings and observations from

his telescopes to prove his facts. Galileo was a man of science; he based all of his reasoning only in fact, and in things he could personally see or feel. This makes him the ONLY candidate worth his weight in gold for this award. One could only choose Galileo as the best scientist during the Scientific Reformation. This is due to his many accomplishments and further progress in the scientific movement. Most scientists during the Scientific Reformation were only known for two or three things, but our friend Galileo is known for so many things that even the textbooks give him the most credit! Volumes upon volumes are written on this man and he has become a household name. Not many several hundred year old men can be recognized by the average ten year old! One person would agree and choose Galileo as the best scientist for any prestigious award, it would be stupid not to. Galileo of Galilei, scientist, astronomer, introvert, inventor, scholar, and clergymen, - now if that list isn’t a qualified resume then one cannot see who else could be the most qualified man for the award. Galileo was the only man during his time (that students study) which notably stood up to the church and secretly won. He used his tact and wit to denounce none of his own work, and use fallacies of logic to distract the church away from his points. This alone is perfect, and unfaultable to prove that he should get an award. Not many men can prove someone wrong and make that person still think they won! Galileo of Galilei, the only clever choice for Scientist of the Century