Unit 1 Textbook Flashcards
(104 cards)
Science =
A way of systematically describing and often also explaining how and why events happen
Scientific method
Forming an idea of the way something works and then making careful measurements, experiments, or observations to test the hypothesis
Theory
A hypothesis (or set of hypotheses) that has stood the test of time and so far has not been contradicted by evidence
Law
Relationships among things or properties that continue to fit the evidence
What profession did Thales have?
Engineer: it is said that he changed the course of a river so that an army could cross it
What did Thales believe was the primordial substance?
Water
Who synthesized Aristotle’s work with Christianity?
Saint Thomas Aquinas
What reason did Aristotle give as to why an arrow does not fall to the ground once it leaves the bow?
Air rushes around behind the arrow and pushes it forward
What explanation Aristotle give to what we now call gravity?
Earth is the final resting place
Who were the first thinkers to recognize that the earth is a sphere?
Pythagoreans
Who is considered to be the founder of atomic theory?
Democritus
Why did Greek science fail
Because it’s adherents gave it the attributes of revealed religion
During what time period was the great Arabic scientific library transferred into Latin question
1120-1240AD
What did al-Khwarizmi popularize?
Algebra and the use of Indian numbers including the number zero in the Decimal place value system
Who was the first Arab philosopher?
al-Kindi
Also worked on optics, medicine and pharmacology
What famous celestial invention came out of the Muslim world?
The Astrolabe
What is the name of the table of mathematical formula for calculating celestial positions?
Zij
Who developed the first theory of light and vision?
al-Haitham
When was science at its lowest in Europe?
500-1000 AD
Into what realm of study what great thinkers put during the middle ages?
Theology instead of science
What was a characteristic feature of Pliny’s successes?
Plagiarism and incomprehension which generated distortions
Into what three continents was the world divided in the year 1000?
Europe, Asia, and Africa
Name three accomplishments of the middle ages
- Advanced philosophical culture by translating Greek philosophers and Islamic commentators
- Synthesis of Aristotelian and Christian thought
- Creation of schools and universities
Why was Francis Bacon encouraged to detail the scientific method?
Because at his time people put lots of zeal and effort into thinking of problems but were not successful because they did not engage the proper means