Galileo and the Scientific Revolution (Science & Discovery) [Hardcover]

Laura Fermi (Author)

Book Description

Series: Science & Discovery | Publication Date: June 1961

An absorbing account of the origins of modern science as well as the warmly human story of a man and his pioneering work, this biography chronicles Galileo's innovations and inventions in fascinating detail. It also recounts his clashes with dogmatists and offers a retrospective of his remarkable legacy.

--This text refers to the Paperback edition.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 150 pages
• Publisher: Basic Books; 1ST edition (June 1961)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0465026184
• ISBN-13: 978-0465026180
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.6 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,066,923 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent short biography, November 30, 2006

By 

Srinivasan Nenmeli Krishna "nksrinivasan" (Palo Alto CA USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

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This review is from: Galileo and the Scientific Revolution (Paperback)

What a great book on Galileo told in an interesting story-like manner. There is a nice balance between his life and scientific work,nicely translated by Laura Fermi, widow of the famous Italian physicist Enrico Fermi of atomic reactor fame...I liked the short digressions to inform us of the times in which Galileo lived and struggled so much...The well-balanced view on the Inquisition which sentenced Galileo is nicely written...I have read five different books on Galileo---this is the best small-volume introduction to Galileo...essential reading for scientists and science teachers in high schools and colleges

1 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Important Information About Galileo is Missing, December 25, 2008

By 

George Shollenberger (Martinsburg, West Virginia United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Galileo and the Scientific Revolution (Paperback)

Good book. Galileo's time at the University of Padua beginning in 1592 is critical information related to Nicholas of Cusa on indivisibles. In a footnote, Galiileo speaks of Cusa as the 'learned doctor.' Galileo says that Cusa spoke of imperceptible motions. Today, the imperceptible motion is called the 'principlre of least action.' This principle originates in the maximum-minimum principle of Cusa and was used in the geometry developed by Kepler on planetary force-free motions. From Cusa, Galileo learned that all God-made wholes have an infinite number of indivisible parts. Cusa, not Galileo, was thus the first modern scientist.

We can thus distinguish man-made wholes from God-made wholes. The man-made whole consist of a countable number of parts whereas the God-made whole has an uncountable number of parts. The man-made whole is often said to be 'the sum of its parts whereas the God-made whole is often said to be 'more than the sum of its parts.'

Based on the work of Cusa and Galileo, today's physical science can be challenged.