Three Laws in One Life - Essay Example

Johannes Kepler: Three Laws in One Life (Fill in with your information etc Johannes Kepler: Three Laws in One Life Over a relatively short span of time, Johannes Kepler - German astronomer, mathematician, astrologer, man extraordinaire - contributed an astonishing amount to the world. Through his adoration for these subjects, Kepler completed a vast array of substantial discoveries, many which will be discussed by answering the following questions: 1. Who was Johannes Kepler 2. What are the Most Important Things Johannes Kepler Accomplished in his Lifetime 3. How Have Kepler's Laws Influenced and Impacted Science and Astronomy Today This review focuses on these three questions. Who was Johannes Kepler Best known as the astronomer who explained planetary motion, Johannes Kepler was born at 2:30pm on December 27, 1571, in Weil der Stadt, Wrttemburg, in the Holy Roman Empire of German nationality. His parents were poor - his father worked as a mercenary and his mother, an inn-keeper's daughter, was known for her involvement in witchcraft. Johannes is said to have been a rather sickly child, but was impossibly brilliant and excelled through his schooling, despite constant bullying and teasing by the other pupils. Somewhat of a loner, Johannes considered himself as an outsider, and tended to keep to himself during his childhood years. Kepler was introduced to mathematics and astrology at a young age, and began attending the University of Tbingen in 1587. There he concentrated solely on his studies, proving himself as a superb mathematician. He graduated from there in 1591 and went on pursuing various different studies, until April of 1594, when he was offered the position of teacher of mathematics and astronomy at the Protestant school in Graz, Austria - he immediately accepted. In April 1597, Kepler married Barbara Mller, and together they had three children: Susanna (1602), Friedrich (1604-1611), and Ludwig (1607-1663). It was in that same year in which he married that he published his first significant piece of work, The Cosmographic Mystery, in which he explained his argument on the relative distances of the planets from the Sun in the Copernican System. It was in this work which he defended the Copernican theory that the Sun, rather than the Earth, was at the center of the solar system. Although some had doubts, Kepler's opinions proved to be remarkably accurate. "Kepler was forced to leave his teaching post at Graz due to the Counter Reformation because he was Lutheran and moved to Prague to work with the renowned Danish astronomer, Tycho Brahe." ("Kepler Mission," 2005). "Unlike Brahe, Kepler believed firmly in the Copernican system." ("Astronomy 161," n.d.). When Brahe died in 1601, Kepler was appointed as his successor and given the title of 'Imperial Mathematician', the most esteemed appointment in mathematics in Europe. What are the Most Important Things Johannes Kepler Accomplished in his Lifetime It was at this point in his life when Kepler truly began his list of incredulous accomplishments. Within a span of only several years he published numerous works, including Astronomia Nova ("New Astronomy") in 1609, which contained his first two laws: one that planets move in elliptical orbits with the Sun as one of the foci, and the other, that a planet sweeps out equal areas in equal times. Following an opposite precept to other astronomers, Kepler brought an excitingly new view to things. "Kepler took an openly dynamic approach, introducing the physics into the heavens." ("The Galileo Project," 1995). In 1613 Kepler published a work on chronology and the year of Jesus' birth which demonstrated that in his opinion the Christian calendar was in error by five years, and that Jesus had actually been born in 4 BC - an opinion that is now universally shared. Between 1617 and 1621 Kepler published still more ingenious works, including Epitome Astronomiae Copernicanae ("Epitome of Copernican Astronomy"), which was the most instrumental introduction to heliocentric astronomy, and Harmonice Mundi ("Harmony of the World"), in which we find his third law - the relating of the periods of the planets to their mean orbital radii. "Moreover, he calculated the most exact astronomical table hitherto known, whose continued accuracy did much to establish the truth of heliocentric astronomy." (Field, 1999). In 1615-1616 there was a witch hunt and Kepler's own mother was accused of being a witch. It was Johannes himself who defended her at her trial, at which the proceedings concluded with her being set free. In 1618, at the beginning of the Thirty Years War, Kepler's position in Linz slowly grew worse, and because he was a court official - although he was exempted from a decree that banished all other Protestants from the province - he suffered persecution. A peasant rebellion broke out in Linz, and a fire destroyed the printer's house and shop. He left with his family from Linz in 1626, and after attempting to find work for some time with no avail, Kepler died in Regansburg in 1630. The most influential of all Kepler's discoveries were his three laws of planetary motion: Kepler's first Law - The orbit of a planet about the Sun is an ellipse with the Sun's center of mass at one focus. Kepler's second Law - A line joining a planet and the Sun sweeps out equal areas in equal intervals of time. Kepler's third Law - The squares of the periods of the planets are proportional to the cubes of their semi-major axes. How Have Kepler's Laws Influenced and Impacted Science and Astronomy Today It is obvious to anyone how incredible Johannes Kepler's life was, and what an influence he made on the world in that time. He is sometimes referred to as 'the first theoretical astrophysicist'. Kepler was easily one of the most important scientists in the field of astronomy, and in fact one of the most important figures in the 17th century scientific revolution. He was the first to explain planetary motion, he made significant headway in the field of optics, formed the basics of integral calculus, made important advances in geometry, explained how the tides were influenced by the Moon, determined the exact year of Christ's birth, derived Logarithms based on mathematics, and is responsible for finding the three laws of planetary motion - just to name a few. "His most significant achievements came from the realization that the planets moved in elliptical, not circular, orbits." ("Wikipedia," 2005). "In addition to his theories on the structure of the Universe, Kepler made important headway into the field of optics, his publication Stereometrica Doliorum formed the basis of integral calculus, and he also made important advances in geometry." ("Johannes Kepler," 2002). Even the English mathematician Sir Isaac Newton relied heavily on Kepler's theories in formulating his theory of gravitational force. Kepler was a profoundly religious man, and was convinced that God had made the Universe according to a mathematical plan. He was a kind, considerate, and unimaginably brilliant man, who made discoveries that affect the world of today in many crucial ways. He was always sure to credit God for every discovery he made, and Kepler was so devout that he had in fact once considered becoming a priest, but was enthralled so much with the field of science, that he could not help but to follow his calling. "Kepler lived in an era when there was no clear distinction between astronomy and astrology, and no consensus on the scientific method as to the correct way to decided what was correct or incorrect in science. His ideas are therefore a fascinating mixture of what would today be considered mathematical physics and nonsensical mysticism." ("Wikipedia," 2005). Kepler's laws have influenced and impacted science and astronomy in today's world magnificently. Without Kepler's new and innovatively brilliant way of thinking, who knows when anyone would even have begun to truly understand the structure of the Universe Johannes Kepler truly lived the life's worth of a thousand men, understanding and discovering things that might never have been found out otherwise. His determination and confident independence drove him to heights of splendor in regards to his craft, and it is obviously certain that his work did not die with him. He was intelligent, compassionate, and profoundly spiritual, and will never be forgotten. "I was merely thinking God's thoughts after him. Since we astronomers are priests of the highest God in regard to the book of nature, it benefits us to be thoughtful, not of the glory of our minds, but rather, above all else, of the glory of God." (Kepler). References "Astronomy 161". (n.d). Johannes Kepler: The Laws of Planetary Motion. Retrieved December 2, 2005, from http://csep10.phys.utk.edu/astr161/lect/history/kepler.html Field, J.V. (1999, April). Johannes Kepler. Retrieved December 2, 2005, from http://www-groups.dcs.st-and.ac.uk/history/Mathematicians/Kepler.html "The Galileo Project". (1995). The Galileo Project. Retrieved December 2, 2005, from http://galileo.rice.edu/sci/kepler.html "Johannes Kepler". (2002). Johannes Kepler. Retrieved December 2, 2005, from http://www.johanneskepler.com/ "Kepler Mission". (2005, July). Johannes Kepler: His Life, His Laws and Times. Retrieved December 2, 2005, from http://kepler.nasa.gov/johannes/ "Wikipedia". (2005, November). Johannes Kepler. Retrieved December 2, 2005, from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Johannes_Kepler Read More