Welcome to the first block of a two-block FYE sequence describing revolutions in physics. During these two blocks, we’ll discuss two of the most important revolutions in the history of physics. The Copernican Revolution created modern science as we know it. The development of relativity profoundly changed our views of physics and the world around us. In both, we’ll look at how physics has changed, and how the larger culture affected and was affected by these profound changes in physics.

We’ll spend this first block studying the beginning of modern science, one of the defining characteristics of Western society. We’ll begin by looking at what came before—Aristotelian physics and its development through the Middle Ages. Then we’ll look at challenges to Aristotelian physics, focusing on the pivotal figure of Galileo. Finally, we’ll see the new physics in all of its glory, as developed by Isaac Newton. At every stage we’ll look at theoretical and experimental developments, study the important figures involved, and look at the cultural impact of these great discoveries. Our primary subject matter will be motion—that of terrestrial objects and that of the heavenly bodies. We will study the development of science in Western Europe, but we’ll notice how the sciences of other cultures impacted and were impacted by these developments in Europe.