The first textbook covering the history of science from antiquity through the Scientific Revolution. Providing students of all backgrounds with the tools to study science like a historian, Gal covers everything from Pythagorean mathematics to Newton's Principia, introducing the complex relationships between institutions, beliefs and politics.
Hooke, Newton and the Compounding of the Celestiall Motions of the Planetts
The book explores Robert Hooke's groundbreaking proposal in celestial mechanics, which challenged Isaac Newton and ultimately influenced the creation of Newton's "Principia." Hooke's ideas suggested that planetary motions, traditionally seen as stable, were actually dynamic and shaped by an attractive force. This perspective reframed the understanding of orbits, asserting they were not fixed but rather results of continuous changes in motion. The correspondence between Hooke and Newton marked a pivotal moment in the evolution of astronomical thought, reshaping the conception of planetary behavior.