The Galileo Galilei's inventions they meant a revolution for the scientific discipline. In fact, his way of perceiving reality implied a change in the episteme of the 16th and 17th centuries. His contributions and discoveries were so important that they became the fruit of great controversy and discussions..
Galileo Galilei (1564-1642) was an Italian physicist, astronomer, philosopher, engineer and mathematician who was very influential in the scientific revolution. In addition, he not only excelled in the sciences, but also showed a notable interest in the world of the arts. Some authors consider him as the father of science and the father of modern physics.
Among his most notorious contributions are the improvement of the telescope and the first law of motion; His support for the Copernicus Revolution was also decisive. Likewise, Galilei is credited with creating the hydrostatic balance or the water thermometer, among other artifacts..
In 1609, Galilei received rumors about the creation of a telescope, which allowed to observe the objects located at far distances. This had been built by the Dutchman Hans Lippershey and allowed us to observe some stars that were not perceptible to the naked eye..
Through this description, Galilei decided to build his own version of the telescope. In contrast to the Lippershey telescope, the Galileo telescope magnified the image up to six times and did not deform objects when zoomed in..
Furthermore, Galileo's telescope was the only one of the time that offered a straight image. This was achieved by employing a divergent lens in the ocular space. With this invention, the astronomer managed to free himself from financial debts, since his artifact was acquired by the Republic of Venice.
In 1593, Galileo built a thermometer that differed from the previous ones, since it made it possible to calculate temperature variations by scales. The object consisted of a container filled with lumps of dough that moved depending on the temperature.
Each of these bundles was marked with a certain degree and the water allowed the bundles to descend or ascend depending on the temperature. Currently there are more sophisticated thermometers that calculate temperatures without the need to use such complex mechanisms, however, this is possible thanks to improvements from Galileo.
The bilancetta was a kind of witch created by the scientist in 1597. It is considered the first commercial instrument made by the astronomer, since many people acquired it at the time. Some merchants used it to calculate monetary changes, while the military used it to measure the load of the guns..
In general, the instrument consisted of two rulers that moved on a piece that had a semicircular shape. At present, this instrument is still used by people to orient themselves, although it has undergone several modifications since its inception..
The micrometer was a device conceived in order to accurately calculate the distance between each satellite from Earth.
In the words of Giovanni Alfonso Borelli (1608-1679), the micrometer was made up of a ruler with twenty equal divisions. One of the characteristics of this invention is that it could be placed in the telescope and had the ability to slide through the tube of the latter..
The celatone was a tool made by Galilei to contemplate the moons of Jupiter. The device made it possible to calculate the length from the sea, likewise, it consisted of an object that could be incorporated into the telescope and was shaped like a hull.
One of the peculiarities of this invention is that it was conceived to be used on the deck of a vessel in constant motion..
It is called Escape from Galileo to a design made by the inventor that consisted of a pendulum clock. Its elaboration dates from 1637 and it is considered as the first illustration of a pendulum clock. This type of machine is also known as an escapement clock, which gives the design its name..
By then, the astronomer was very old and blind. Therefore, the drawing was made by his son through his father's descriptions. Galileo's son had begun the construction of the object, however, both died before the project could be completed.
Galileo Galilei not only designed and built novel artifacts; He also stood out for discovering a series of laws that later served as a guide for important physicists, such as Isaac Newton (1643-1727). The most important ones are mentioned below:
This law states that every object in motion has the tendency to continue moving in a straight line, unless it is influenced by another force that deviates it from the path. The law of inertia was used by Isaac Newton to later establish the guidelines of his first law.
Galileo considered that, in a space free of air, two objects in free fall could cover equal distances in the same period of time regardless of the weight of each one. This statement was highly controversial for the time, as it contradicted the ancient Aristotelian principles of free fall..
To test his theory, Galileo decided to experiment with a lead sphere, which he dropped several times on an inclined plane, testing different heights and inclinations. Through this experiment, the astronomer was able to affirm that the square of the times is proportional to the distance that is traveled by the sphere.
The principle of the pendulum was discovered by Galilei, who realized that the period of oscillation of the pendulum is independent of the amplitude (that is, the maximum distance that the pendulum can move away from the balanced position).
Instead, the period of oscillation is dependent on the length of the yarn. Later, the Foucault pendulum was developed, which consisted of a long pendulum that could swing freely in any plane and for hours.
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