<< Chapter < Page Chapter >> Page >
A brief history of Galileo's telescope.

Johannes Hevelius observing with one of his telescopes. (Source: Selenographia, 1647)
The telescope was one of the central instruments of what has been called the Scientific Revolution of the seventeenthcentury. It revealed hitherto unsuspected phenomena in the heavens and had a profound influence on the controversy betweenfollowers of the traditional geocentric astronomy and cosmology and those who favored the heliocentric system of Copernicus . It was the first extension of one of man's senses, and demonstrated that ordinary observers could seethings that the great Aristotle had not dreamed of. It therefore helped shift authority in the observation of nature from men toinstruments. In short, it was the prototype of modern scientific instruments. But the telescope was not the invention ofscientists; rather, it was the product of craftsmen. For that reason, much of its origin is inaccessible to us since craftsmenwere by and large illiterate and therefore historically often invisible.

Although the magnifying and diminishing properties of convex and concave transparent objects was known in Antiquity, lenses as weknow them were introduced in the West

They may have developed independently in China.
at the end of the thirteenth century. Glass of reasonable quality had become relatively cheap and in the majorglass-making centers of Venice and Florence techniques for grinding and polishing glass had reached a high state ofdevelopment. Now one of the perennial problems faced by aging scholars could be solved. With age, the eye progressively losesits power to accommodate, that is to change its focus from faraway objects to nearby ones. This condition, known as presbyopia , becomes noticeable for most people in their forties, when they can no longer focus on letters held ata comfortable distance from the eye. Magnifying glasses became common in the thirteenth century, but these are cumbersome,especially when one is writing. Craftsmen in Venice began making small disks of glass, convex on both sides, that could be wornin a frame--spectacles. Because these little disks were shaped like lentils, they became known as "lentils of glass," or (fromthe Latin) lenses . The earliest illustrations of spectacles date from about 1350, and spectacles soon came to besymbols of learning.

The Spectacle Vendor by Johannes Stradanus, engraved by Johannes Collaert,1582
These spectacles were, then, reading glasses. When one had trouble reading, one went to a spectacle-maker's shop or apeddler of spectacles (see and ) and found a suitable pair by trial and error. They were, by and large, glasses for the old. spectaclesfor the young, concave lenses
Note that the word lens was used only to denote convex lenses until the end of the seventeenth century.
that correct the refractive error known as myopia , were first made (again in Italy) in the middle of the fifteenthcentury. So by about 1450 the ingredients for making a telescope were there. The telescopic effect can be achieved by severalcombinations of concave and convex mirrors and lenses. Why was the telescope not invented in the fifteenth century? There is nogood answer to this question, except perhaps that lenses and mirrors of the appropriate strengths were not available untillater.

Questions & Answers

differentiate between demand and supply giving examples
Lambiv Reply
differentiated between demand and supply using examples
Lambiv
what is labour ?
Lambiv
how will I do?
Venny Reply
how is the graph works?I don't fully understand
Rezat Reply
information
Eliyee
devaluation
Eliyee
t
WARKISA
hi guys good evening to all
Lambiv
multiple choice question
Aster Reply
appreciation
Eliyee
explain perfect market
Lindiwe Reply
In economics, a perfect market refers to a theoretical construct where all participants have perfect information, goods are homogenous, there are no barriers to entry or exit, and prices are determined solely by supply and demand. It's an idealized model used for analysis,
Ezea
What is ceteris paribus?
Shukri Reply
other things being equal
AI-Robot
When MP₁ becomes negative, TP start to decline. Extuples Suppose that the short-run production function of certain cut-flower firm is given by: Q=4KL-0.6K2 - 0.112 • Where is quantity of cut flower produced, I is labour input and K is fixed capital input (K-5). Determine the average product of lab
Kelo
Extuples Suppose that the short-run production function of certain cut-flower firm is given by: Q=4KL-0.6K2 - 0.112 • Where is quantity of cut flower produced, I is labour input and K is fixed capital input (K-5). Determine the average product of labour (APL) and marginal product of labour (MPL)
Kelo
yes,thank you
Shukri
Can I ask you other question?
Shukri
what is monopoly mean?
Habtamu Reply
What is different between quantity demand and demand?
Shukri Reply
Quantity demanded refers to the specific amount of a good or service that consumers are willing and able to purchase at a give price and within a specific time period. Demand, on the other hand, is a broader concept that encompasses the entire relationship between price and quantity demanded
Ezea
ok
Shukri
how do you save a country economic situation when it's falling apart
Lilia Reply
what is the difference between economic growth and development
Fiker Reply
Economic growth as an increase in the production and consumption of goods and services within an economy.but Economic development as a broader concept that encompasses not only economic growth but also social & human well being.
Shukri
production function means
Jabir
What do you think is more important to focus on when considering inequality ?
Abdisa Reply
any question about economics?
Awais Reply
sir...I just want to ask one question... Define the term contract curve? if you are free please help me to find this answer 🙏
Asui
it is a curve that we get after connecting the pareto optimal combinations of two consumers after their mutually beneficial trade offs
Awais
thank you so much 👍 sir
Asui
In economics, the contract curve refers to the set of points in an Edgeworth box diagram where both parties involved in a trade cannot be made better off without making one of them worse off. It represents the Pareto efficient allocations of goods between two individuals or entities, where neither p
Cornelius
In economics, the contract curve refers to the set of points in an Edgeworth box diagram where both parties involved in a trade cannot be made better off without making one of them worse off. It represents the Pareto efficient allocations of goods between two individuals or entities,
Cornelius
Suppose a consumer consuming two commodities X and Y has The following utility function u=X0.4 Y0.6. If the price of the X and Y are 2 and 3 respectively and income Constraint is birr 50. A,Calculate quantities of x and y which maximize utility. B,Calculate value of Lagrange multiplier. C,Calculate quantities of X and Y consumed with a given price. D,alculate optimum level of output .
Feyisa Reply
Answer
Feyisa
c
Jabir
the market for lemon has 10 potential consumers, each having an individual demand curve p=101-10Qi, where p is price in dollar's per cup and Qi is the number of cups demanded per week by the i th consumer.Find the market demand curve using algebra. Draw an individual demand curve and the market dema
Gsbwnw Reply
suppose the production function is given by ( L, K)=L¼K¾.assuming capital is fixed find APL and MPL. consider the following short run production function:Q=6L²-0.4L³ a) find the value of L that maximizes output b)find the value of L that maximizes marginal product
Abdureman
types of unemployment
Yomi Reply
What is the difference between perfect competition and monopolistic competition?
Mohammed
Got questions? Join the online conversation and get instant answers!
Jobilize.com Reply

Get Jobilize Job Search Mobile App in your pocket Now!

Get it on Google Play Download on the App Store Now




Source:  OpenStax, Galileo project. OpenStax CNX. Jul 07, 2004 Download for free at http://cnx.org/content/col10234/1.1
Google Play and the Google Play logo are trademarks of Google Inc.

Notification Switch

Would you like to follow the 'Galileo project' conversation and receive update notifications?

Ask