The First Copernican: Georg Joachim Rheticus and the Rise of the Copernican Revolution.THE FIRST COPERNICAN: Georg Joachim Rheticus Georg Joachim von Lauchen, also known as Rheticus (February 16 1514 – December 4 1574), was a mathematician, cartographer, navigational and other instrument maker, medical practitioner, and teacher. and the Rise of the Copernican Revolution The Copernican Revolution refers to the paradigm shift away from the Ptolemaic model of the heavens, which placed Earth at the center of the Universe. It was one of the starting points for the Scientific Revolution of the 17th Century. DENNIS DANIELSON Copernicus' realization that the sun, and not Earth, is the center of the solar system solar system, the sun and the surrounding planets, natural satellites, dwarf planets, asteroids, meteoroids, and comets that are bound by its gravity. The sun is by far the most massive part of the solar system, containing almost 99.9% of the system's total mass. forever changed Forever Changed was a Christian Rock band from Tallahassee and Orlando, FL. They came together in 1999 and broke up in 2006. Dan Cole was the lead singer, a guitarist, and a pianist. Ben O'Rear was the lead guitarist, Tom Gustafson played bass, and Nathan Lee played the drums. astronomy. However, his work might have sunk into oblivion without the help of a young mathematical prodigy named Georg Joachim Rheticus. Danielson, an English professor, tells how Rheticus got his start in academia and became a key player in the scientific community of 14th-century Europe. He was the founder of trigonometry trigonometry [Gr.,=measurement of triangles], a specialized area of geometry concerned with the properties of and relations among the parts of a triangle. Spherical trigonometry is concerned with the study of triangles on the surface of a sphere rather than in the , a science he recognized as useful in astronomy. Rheticus met Copernicus late in the latter's life, when the old man was isolated by his intellectual superiority. Rheticus had sought him out for an explanation of the heavens and thus became Copernicus' first and only student. Only upon the insistence of Rheticus did Copernicus turn his attention to publishing his work in The Revolutions. Though Rheticus' behavior was at times scandalous, his dedication to Copernicus and to the advancement of trigonometry and astronomy has secured his place in science history. Walker, 2006, 264 p., b&w images, hardcover, $25.95. |
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