... was determined by its weight, held that matter was constructed out of four possible elements, with different matter containing different combinations of these four, and described the universe as the Greek astronomer Ptolemy had described it, as a static and finite thing in which the Earth occupied the central position, with the sun and planets in revolution and the distant stars inhabiting ... exceptional student of astronomy, discarded the geocentric theory. The geocentric theory was introduced by Ptolemy and stated that the sun orbits the Earth. Nicolas Copernicus was the first to com...

• Word Count: 2877
• Approx Pages: 12
• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: High School

... way for these achievements, the quality and impact of scientific discovery in Europe in this period exceed anything ever done in any part of the world. Scientists began to use mathematics and logic in their scientific questioning. In doing so, they realized that some of their beliefs about the universe were not true. The belief that Earth was at the center ... so much on their religious beliefs. Commerce continued to enjoy forward movement because of all of the advances in science. The first model of the universe was developed by Ptolemy, a Greek scientist. His model placed the Earth at...

• Word Count: 1054
• Approx Pages: 4
• Grade Level: High School

... the facts, as they say, 'with both eyes open'. "Copernicus from "De Revolutionibus Coelestibus" 1600's The Century of Genius Prior to the 17th century, western thought still believed in Greek scriptures. This led to a tyrannical hierarchy. This was very feasible in those days because the people were not to question authority. All of this was about to change when the ... most influential thinkers of this time. Descartes began a theory of knowledge, also known as epistemology. This is also when he realizes that everything in reality can be broken down into mathematics, or an axiom. These ...

• Word Count: 525
• Approx Pages: 2
• Grade Level: High School