Galileo: Astronomer and Physicist (Great Minds of Science) [Paperback]

Paul W. Hightower (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 2001 | Age Level: 9 and up | Series: Great Minds of Science

Profiles the life of Galileo Galilei, focusing on his defense of the Copernican theory and his struggles with the Catholic Church.

--This text refers to the Library Binding edition.

Editorial Reviews

From Kirkus Reviews

An astonishing and readable account in the Great Minds of Science series that reveals how Galileo, a brilliant and creative scientist, ``among the first to practice the scientific method'' in the 17th century, was tried, convicted of heresy, and imprisoned for the rest of his life for observing, then teaching and writing about scientific theories that went against the beliefs of the Catholic Church. At the Inquisition, Galileo argued that the ``Holy Spirit intended to teach us in the Bible how to go to Heaven, not how the Heavens go.'' Hightower deftly recounts the key aspects of Galileo's life and makes plain how revolutionary his ideas and inventions were; readers will be shocked to realize that it wasn't until 1992 that Pope John Paul II officially recognized the error of the Catholic Church in its decision against Galileo. An activities section at the end of the book offers instructions for making a thermometer, doing free- fall gravity experiments, using a pendulum, and constructing a telescope. (b&w photos, not seen, chronology, notes, glossary, further reading, index) (Nonfiction. 9-15) -- Copyright ©1997, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved. --This text refers to the Library Binding edition.

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 9 and up
  
• Paperback: 128 pages
• Publisher: Enslow Publishers (January 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0766018709
• ISBN-13: 978-0766018709
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 7.6 x 0.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,866,222 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars (non-fiction) Galileo Astronomer and Physicist, May 21, 2002

By 

Justin Chi (Cerritos, CA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Galileo: Astronomer and Physicist (Great Minds of Science) (Paperback)

This book, is mostly about the Galileo's life. It is a biography of him. Galileo was born on January 8, 1610. He was a great astronomer, in fact, one of the greatest astronomers that had ever lived. He discovered many things that nobody else bothered to know about. He corrected many ancient theories, for example, Aristotle's. One of the theories of Aristotles was the theory of motion. Aristotle believed that heavier objects should fall faster than lighter objects. Galileo then was curious about this theory and tested it. It then seemed that Aristotle was incorrect. Galileo though had proof and told other people about the theory that he had. Many didn't believe him because Aristotle was one of the classics and had been around for centuries. Galileo did many other magnificent discoveries and corrections that had changed our lives. Today, we respect him as the greatest astronomer that had ever lived.
Why I recommend this book is that it is full of information. It tells about practically anything you want to know about Galileo. It is a useful reference book that is also surprisingly easy to understand. It shows and makes reading biographies fun.
Though I don't really have a favorite part, I enjoyed some of the sections in the book. Such as when Galileo finds that Aristotle's theories were mostly all incorrect, it was an amazing discovery and correction. The book also gave me knowledge about who named this and that.