6 INVENTIONS OF GALILEO GALILEI AND OTHER CONTRIBUTIONS - SCIENCE - 2025

The inventions of Galileo Galilei meant a revolution for the scientific discipline. In fact, his way of perceiving reality implied a change in the episteme of the 16th and 17th centuries. His contributions and discoveries were so important that they became the fruit of great controversy and discussion.

Galileo Galilei (1564-1642) was an Italian physicist, astronomer, philosopher, engineer, and mathematician who was very influential in the scientific revolution. In addition, he not only excelled in science, but also showed a notable interest in the world of the arts. Some authors consider him as the father of science and the father of modern physics.

Fresco by Galileo Galilei showing the telescope. Source: Giuseppe Bertini

Among his most notorious contributions are the improvement of the telescope and the first law of motion; His support for the Copernicus Revolution was also decisive. Likewise, Galilei is credited with creating the hydrostatic balance or the water thermometer, among other artifacts.

Galileo Galilei artifacts and enhancements

The telescope

In 1609, Galilei received rumors about the creation of a telescope, which allowed to observe the objects located at far distances. This had been built by the Dutchman Hans Lippershey and allowed to observe some stars that were not perceptible to the naked eye.

Through this description, Galilei decided to build his own version of the telescope. In contrast to the Lippershey telescope, the Galileo telescope magnified the image up to six times and did not deform objects when zoomed in.

Furthermore, Galileo's telescope was the only one of the time that offered a straight image. This was achieved by using a diverging lens in the eye space. With this invention, the astronomer managed to free himself from financial debts, since his artifact was acquired by the Republic of Venice.

The thermometer

In 1593, Galileo built a thermometer that differed from the previous ones since it allowed the variations in temperatures to be calculated by scales. The object consisted of a container filled with lumps of dough that moved depending on the temperature.

Each of these packages was marked with a certain degree and the water allowed the packages to descend or ascend depending on the temperature. Currently there are more sophisticated thermometers that calculate temperatures without using such complex mechanisms, however, this is possible thanks to improvements from Galileo.

The bilancetta

The bilancetta was a kind of witch created by the scientist in 1597. It is considered the first commercial instrument made by the astronomer, since many people acquired it at the time. Some merchants used it to calculate currency exchange rates, while the military used it to measure the load of the guns.

In general terms, the instrument consisted of two rulers that moved on a piece that had a semicircular shape. Today, this instrument is still used by people for orientation, although it has undergone several modifications since its inception.

Micrometer

The micrometer was a device conceived in order to accurately calculate the distance between each satellite from Earth.

In the words of Giovanni Alfonso Borelli (1608-1679), the micrometer was made up of a ruler with twenty equal divisions. One of the characteristics of this invention is that it could be placed in the telescope and had the ability to slide through the tube of the latter.

The celatone

The celatone was a tool made by Galilei to view the moons of Jupiter. The device made it possible to calculate the length from the sea, likewise, it consisted of an object that could be incorporated into the telescope and was shaped like a hull.

One of the peculiarities of this invention is that it was conceived to be used on the deck of a vessel in constant motion.

Galileo's escape

Pendulum clock design made by Galileo and his son. Source: Vincenzo Viviani

Escape from Galileo is called a design made by the inventor that consisted of a pendulum clock. Its elaboration dates from 1637 and it is considered the first illustration of a pendulum clock. This type of machine is also known as an escapement clock, which gives the design its name.

By then, the astronomer was very old and had gone blind. Therefore, the drawing was made by his son through his father's descriptions. Galileo's son had begun construction of the object, however, both died before the project could be completed.

Laws invented by Galileo Galilei

Galileo Galilei not only designed and built novel artifacts; He also stood out for discovering a series of laws that later served as a guide for important physicists, such as Isaac Newton (1643-1727). The most important ones are mentioned below:

The law of inertia

This law states that every moving object has the tendency to continue moving in a straight line, unless it is influenced by another force that deviates it from the path. The law of inertia was used by Isaac Newton to later establish the guidelines of his first law.

The law of free fall

Galileo considered that, in a space free of air, two objects in free fall could cover equal distances in the same period of time regardless of the weight of each one. This statement was highly controversial for the time, as it contradicted the ancient Aristotelian principles of free fall.

To test his theory, Galileo decided to experiment with a lead sphere, which he dropped several times on an inclined plane, testing different heights and inclinations. Through this experiment, the astronomer was able to affirm that the square of the times is proportional to the distance that is traveled by the sphere.

The law of isochrony of pendulums

The principle of the pendulum was discovered by Galilei, who realized that the period of oscillation of the pendulum is independent of the amplitude (that is, the maximum distance that the pendulum can move away from the balanced position).

Instead, the period of oscillation is dependent on the length of the yarn. Later, Foucault's pendulum was developed, which consisted of a long pendulum that could swing freely in any plane and for hours.

References

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3. Ponce, C. (2016) Galileo Galilei and his law of free fall. Retrieved on December 6, 2019 from Topological Bestiary.
4. Rosen, E. (1954) Did Galileo claim he invented the telescope? Retrieved on December 6, 2019 from Jstor.
5. SA (2018) Learn about Galileo Galilei's inventions that changed the world. Retrieved on December 6, 2019 from Telesur: telesurtv.net
6. SA (sf) Galileo Galilei. Retrieved on December 6, 2019 from Wikipedia: es.wikipedia.org