Amazon Quiz (October 21): Which famous scientist does this sculpture represent?
Tycho Brahe
Max Planck
Nicolaus Copernicus
Galileo Galilei
Answer: Galileo Galilei
Galileo Galilei, a founding father of physics and astronomy, is renowned for his numerous contributions to science. Even 380 years after his passing, the modern scientific method, which he popularised, continues to serve as the cornerstone of scientific inquiry.
The Italian thinker emphasised a rigorous, quantitative approach to exploring the universe. He is one of the greatest scientists of all time thanks to his extraordinary contributions to the fields of motion and gravity, which together set the groundwork for modern physics.
But all of these accomplishments are overshadowed by his astronomical studies, which revealed craters on the moon, stars throughout the Milky Way, and spots on the sun. Not to mention his ground-breaking discoveries on how the cosmos revolves around the sun.
He was born in Tuscany, Italy, in 1564, a time when parents regularly gave their boys names that were derived from the names of their extended families. In fact, over the years, the names “Galileo” and “Galilei” have been used as surnames interchangeably by Galileo’s ancestors.
Although this is unclear today, naming rules were thought to be highly flexible at the time. Galileo, like the majority of Italians, would have introduced himself with just his first name, with the occasional addition of his occupation, hometown, father’s first name, or the traditional family name.
During the Renaissance, professors and scholars rarely got married. Therefore, in accordance with this idea, Galileo never married. However, the scholar had a relationship with Marina Gamba, with whom he had three children: Virginia (born in 1600), Livia (born in 1601), and Vincenzo (born in 1606). In the end, their son chose to become a musician while their two daughters entered the San Matteo monastery in Arcetri.
Amazon Quiz: Under tough conditions, who won the 2022 Singapore Grand Prix?
