Galileo Galilei Essay Example for Free

Galileo Galilei Essay They wanted Galileo to become a medical doctor. While pursuing his university studies, Galileo realized he had a passion for mathematics and instead became a professor of mathematics at the Universities of Padua and Pisa. The Pendulum In 1581, Galileo began studying at the University of Pisa, where his father hoped he would study medicine. While at the University of Pisa, Galileo began his study of the pendulum. According to legend, he watched a suspended lamp swing back and forth in the cathedral of Pisa. It was not until 1602 that Galileo made his most notable discovery about the pendulum the period, which the time in which a pendulum wings back and forth, does not depend on the arc of the swing, the isochronism. Eventually, this discovery would lead to Galileos further study of time intervals and the development of his idea for a pendulum clock. Tower of Pisa As a professor, Galileo argued against traditional views of astronomy. At that point in history, Aristotles theories were thought to be the fundamental laws in physics. Aristotles belief that objects with a greater density fall faster than those that was lighter in weight. In 1589, he was disproved by Galileo when he stood at the top of he Leaning Tower of Pisa and discovered that the reason for one object falling faster than the other had to do with the friction each encounters while moving through the air- two objects of different weight actually fall at the same rate. Mechanical Devices In 1 592, Galileo was appointed professor of mathematics at the University of Padua. While teaching there, he frequently visited a place called the Arsenal, where Venetian ships were docked and loaded. Galileo had always been interested in mechanical devices. During his visits to the Arsenal, he became fascinated by nautical technologies, such as the sector and shipbuilding. In 1593, he was presented with the problem involving the placement of oars in galleys. He treated the oar as a lever and correctly made the water the fulcrum. A year later, he patented a model for a pump. His pump was a device that raised water by using only one horse. Telescope Galileo invented many mechanical devices other than the pump, such as the hydrostatic balance. But perhaps his most famous invention was the telescope. In 1609, after word came from Holland of the invention of the telescope by Hans Lippershey, Galileo built his own version of the instrument. He created a telescope ater that same year that could magnify objects twenty times as opposed to other telescopes that can only magnify objects three times. With this telescope, he was able to make profound astronomical discoveries such as the moon, the four moons of Jupiter (Lo, Europa, Ganymede, and Callisto), observe a supernova, verify the phases which the earth and other planets revolve around the sun. Prior to the Copernican system, it was believed that the universe was geocentric, meaning the sun revolved around the earth. The Inquisition Galileos belief in the Copernican system eventually got him into trouble with the Catholic Church. The Inquisition was a permanent institution in the Catholic Church charged with the eradication of heresies. A committee of consultants declared to the Inquisition that the Copernican proposition that the Sun is the center of the universe was a heresy. Because Galileo supported the Copernican system, he was warned by Cardinal Bellarmine, under order of Pope Paul V, that he should not discuss or defend Copernican theories. In 1624, Galileo was assured by Pope Urban VIII that he could write about Copernican theory as long as he treated it as a mathematical proposition. However, with the printing of Galileos book, Dialogue Concerning the Two Chief World Systems, Galileo was called to Rome in 1633 to face the Inquisition again. Galileo was found guilty of heresy for his Dialogue. In 1638, because of his old age and poor health, the Inquisition allowed Galileo to move to his home in Florence for the remainder of his life. By that time he had become blind and immobile. In 1642, Galileo died at his home outside Florence. Galileos inventions and discoveries were a scientific marvel in his time; and have been incredibly important to cosmic and astronomical study.

Role of Women in Oranges Are Not The Only Fruit Essay -- Oranges Are N

Role of Women in Oranges Are Not The Only Fruit  Ã‚   In the novel Oranges Are Not The Only Fruit, by Jeanette Winterson, most of the important, decision-making, characters are female. Jeanette, the female protagonist, is greatly influenced by her mother, a strong, overbearing, eccentric woman, and by Elsie, a prominent member of the family parish who becomes Jeanette's only friend and closest confidant. Elsie and Jeanette's mother act as polar forces in Jeanette's life, with the mother encouraging suppression of "unholy" or "unnatural" feelings and thoughts, and Elsie encouraging expression of feelings and accepting oneself for who one really is. Jeanette's mother, referred to by name only once in the novel, is probably the second most important character in the book, outdone only by the protagonist herself. She acts not as a role model, but as an example of what not to become, of a lifestyle to reject. Throughout the book, Mother encourages suppression of feelings she defines as unholy by way of personal example and by her attempted repression of Jeanette's homosexuality. An...

All Quiet on the Western Front 15

All Quiet on the Western Front â€Å"The first bombs, the first explosion, burst into our hearts. † (Remarque 88) This is what the soldiers felt like in Erich Maria Remarque novel, All Quiet on the Western Front, Paul Baumer, a young man serving in the German army during World War One, is constantly being faced with the horrible and terrifying aspects of war. From seeing, his fellow soldiers lying dead on the battle field, to learning how to survive on the western front of the war.With his rifle by his side and his comrade’s right next to him, he knew what his job was to do in the war and that was to serve his country. Although Paul fought for his country in the War, Corrie Ten Boom a member of the Dutch reformed church was faced with the horrific scenes of seeing innocent Jews being put into Concentration Camps. Although, Paul enlisted inWorld War I to help his country and then realized what war really about, Corrie helped her country in World War II in a different way by helping the Jews hide in her house and even surviving a concentration camp herself .Paul Baumer and Corrie Ten Boom both had different influences and experiences before the start of the war. Paul was eager to join the war and wanted to what he could for his country and even Paul’s friend Katczinky said, â€Å"It would not be such a bad war if only one can get a little more sleep†(Remarque 2), this leads up to Paul’s friend volunteering for the war. Paul and his friends Leer, Muller and Kropp all enlisted in the war voluntarily â€Å"All four are nineteen years in age, and all four joined up from the same class as volunteers for the war .In the line we have had next to none, and fourteen days is a long time at one stretch† (Remarque 2). Propaganda also had a major part on influencing Paul Baumers to join the war â€Å"Enforced publicity has in our eyes restored the character of complete innocence to all these things† [war] (Remarque 8). Paul was also being pressured into joining the war by his teacher; a patriotic professor gave the students â€Å"long lectures until the whole of their class went, under his shepherding, to the district commandant and volunteered† (Remarque 11).His teacher always had the dream of transforming high school students into being a strong one’s self and he believed that joining the military was the way to do that and turning the students into strong â€Å"Iron Youth†(Remarque 19). Those who did not join the war would â€Å"have been ostracized †¦. but no one would ever stand out because at the time even one’s parents were ready with the word â€Å"coward†Ã¢â‚¬ (Remarque 11). The young students did not want to be thought of being disobedient to a higher authority because â€Å"the idea of authority†¦. as a greater insight and a more humane wisdom† (Remarque 12) and because of that Paul and the class volunteered their service in the war. Paul al so felt like it was his oneself duty to join the war and fight for his country because â€Å"We loved our country† (Remarque 13) and wanted to serve it† [the] duty to ones country is the greatest thing† (Remarque 13) Although, Paul wanted to serve his country on the war front Corrie Ten boom had a different start to World War II. Prior to the Holland’s involvement the country, was still at peace.Corrie Ten Booms family waited anxiously and gathered around the radio, for the Prime Minister of Holland’s announcement about the countries involvement in the war. On May 10th, 1940 at 9:30 P. M. , the announcement came through on the families radio the Prime minister announced there would be no war, and Holland would remain neutral. The voice stopped, and Corrie Ten Boom and her sister looked over at their father and saw a fire they had never seen before. Corries Ten Boom father said, â€Å"It is wrong to give people hope when there is no hope, there will be war.The Germans will attack and we will fall† ( Boom 78) Corrie Ten Boom felt that if father was so skilled at being optimistic, and so slow to believe in evil. Then there would be no other choice but war. Later that night, Corrie Ten Boom, sat right up in her bed because she heard bombs dropping outside her bedroom window and saw the sky turn a red-orange. The start of the war for Corrie Ten Boom is â€Å" The deepest Hell man can create† ( Moore 92) Corrie Ten Boom went to her sisters Tantes room and grabbed herself towards her sister, in the darkness and we threw our arms around each other and together said â€Å"war†.It was only five hours after the Prime Ministers speech. ( Boom 78-80). In the end, Paul Baumer and Corrie Ten Boom both got involved in the war but in a different way. Paul Baumers view on the World War I quickly changed; as he got more involved in the war, and his experience became abominable. The trench conditions that Paul and his comrades were living in got worse â€Å"I fling myself down and when I stand up the wall of the trench is plastered with smoking splinters, lumps of flesh, and bits of uniform† (Remarque 111).Paul’s physical conditions become worse and mentally it became a challenge â€Å"Night again. We are deadened by the strain-a deadly tension that scrapes along one’s spine like a gapped knife. Our legs refuse to move, our hands tremble, our bodies are thin skin stretched painfully†¦we have neither flesh nor muscle and longer† (Remarque 111). As the war continued to go on Paul began to lose feelings for his comrades who he cared so much for in the beginning â€Å"We [soldiers] have lost feeling for one another. We can hardly control ourselves†¦.We are insensible dead men through some dreadful trick are still able to run and kill† (Remarque 116). The soldier’s life now will forever be changed and will now be afraid of life because of what they have seen at war â€Å"I know nothing of life but despair, death, and fear. † (Remarque 263) Towards the end of the war, Paul’s Baumers view on the war had completely changed â€Å"We believe in such things but no longer do we believe in war† (Remarque 88). Although Paul Baumer served, his country on the war front Corrie Ten Boom served her country by saving hundreds of Jews lives.Corrie came from a family who were members of a Dutch reformed Christian church, which protested Nazi persecution of Jews as an injustice to fellow human beings and an affront to divine authority Holocaust encyclopedia. Corrie Ten Boom believed that God will lead her life and â€Å"We will never know how God will answer our prayers, but we can expect that he will get us involved in his plan†¦ (Moore 38). During the war, Corrie Ten Boom became involved in resistance efforts to hide the Jews.Family members would shelter young men sought by the Nazi, forced labor and assisted Jews in contact ing persons will to hide them. Corrie Ten Boom decided to get involved with the effort to help hide the Jews in her family home in Haarlem, Netherlands. Corrie Ten Boom was able to hide the Jews by using her job as a watchmaker in her father’s shop as a cover and building contacts with resistance workers. The hiding place was located behind a false wall in her bedroom at the top of the house was an area about two feet wide and eight feet long.The entrance to the hiding place was accessible by crawling through a wooden sliding panel at the back of the linen cupboard that was built into a false wall. When the German police come to Corrie’s Ten booms house on February 28, 1944 they did not find those in hiding, the hiding place had kept its secret however, the Ten Boom family was arrested and taken to the Scheveningan prison. Corrie described her feelings as she was being loaded into the van â€Å"In my heart was a great sense of peace. I had long expected this catastrop he.Now the blow had fallen†¦in my mind I kept telling myself Do not ever feel sorry for yourself† (Moore 102). In September 1944 Corrie was deported to the Ravensbruek concentration camp in Germany until her release in December 1944. After her release in 1944, Corrie traveled to America to tell her fascinating Story. Paul Baumer and Corrie Ten Boom both had some similar and different experience at the end of the war. For example, Paul describes the end of the war as â€Å"The cause of death like cancer and tuberculosis, like influenza and dysentery.The deaths are merely more frequent, more varied, and terrible† (Remarque 271). Paul Baulmer describes war as something were you see more death then you see survive. He admits that all war does is casue death, it’s like a sickness. Paul Baumers life will forever be changed. Corrie Ten Boom believed war was â€Å"The deepest Hell that Man Can Crete† (Moore 92) Both Paul Baumer and Corrie Ten Boom thought tha t war was a terrible and frightening event to go through. By the end of the novel Paul had become peaceful with himself â€Å"He [Paul] had fallen forward and lay on the earth as though sleeping†¦. is face had an expression of calm, as though almost glad the end had come† (Remarque 296). Corrie Ten Boom however, has to live on to tell her story about hiding the Jews and her survival in the concentration camps. She received an award for recognition from the Yad Vashem Remembrance Authority as one of the righteous among nations for her resistance in Nazi persecution and helping others hide from the Gestapo and risking her own life. â€Å"The tragedy of war is that it uses man's best to do man's worst† Henry Fosdick.When is war justified? The justification of war is when the country gains something from the war. War is still a horrific and terrible thing, and the country is killing thousands and millions of innocent civilian’s lives to save others. War can hav e a permanent scar on a soldier’s life and can change their lives forever. Going through the physical and mental pain of war just is not worth it. How can a country continue to go into war when there’s moms and dads loosing a husband or wife, daughters and sons losing a mom or dad.A soldier having the dream to, see their son or daughter grow up but not being able to because he or she shed his blood for his country.Bibliography Boom, Corrie Ten . The Hiding Place. N. p. : n. p. , n. d. 78-80. Print. â€Å"corrie ten boom. † ushmm. holocaust encyclopedia, 4 May 2009. Web. 10 Feb. 2010. . Moore, Pam Rosewell. Life Lessons from Corrie Ten Boom. Grand rapids: Chosen, n. d. Print. Remarque, Erich Maria. All quiet on the western front. New york: The random house publishing group, 1929. Print quotations about war. † quotations about war. N. p. , 9 Nov. 2009. Web. 14 Mar. 2010. .

Iran History and Facts

The Islamic Republic of Iran, formerly known to outsiders as Persia, is one of the centers of ancient human civilization.  The name Iran comes from the word Aryanam, meaning Land of the Aryans. Sited on the hinge between the Mediterranean world, Central Asia, and the Middle East, Iran has taken several turns as a superpower empire and been overrun in turn by any number of invaders. Today, the Islamic Republic of Iran is one of the more formidable powers in the Middle East region—a land where lyrical  Persian poetry vies with strict interpretations of Islam for the soul of a people. Capital and Major Cities Capital: Tehran, population 7,705,000 Major Cities: Mashhad, population 2,410,000 Esfahan, 1,584,000 Tabriz, population 1,379,000 Karaj, population 1,377,000 Shiraz, population 1,205,000 Qom, population 952,000 Irans Government Since the Revolution of 1979, Iran has been ruled by a complex governmental structure. At the top is the Supreme Leader, selected by the Assembly of Experts, who is Commander-in-Chief of the military and oversees the civilian government. Next is the elected President of Iran, who serves for a maximum of two 4-year terms. Candidates must be approved by the Guardian Council. Iran has a unicameral legislature called the Majlis, which has 290 members. Laws are written in accordance with law, as interpreted by the Guardian Council. The Supreme Leader appoints the Head of Judiciary, who appoints judges and prosecutors. Population of Iran Iran is home to approximately 72 million people of dozens of different ethnic backgrounds. Important ethnic groups include the Persians (51%), Azeris (24%), Mazandarani and Gilaki (8%), Kurds (7%), Iraqi Arabs (3%), and Lurs, Balochis, and Turkmens (2% each). Smaller populations of Armenians, Persian Jews, Assyrians, Circassians, Georgians, Mandaeans, Hazaras, Kazakhs, and Romany also live in various enclaves within Iran. With an increased educational opportunity for women, Irans birth rate has declined markedly in recent years after booming in the late 20th century. Iran also hosts over 1 million Iraqi and Afghan refugees. Languages Not surprisingly in such an ethnically diverse nation, Iranians speak dozens of different languages and dialects. The official language is Persian (Farsi), which is part of the Indo-European language family. Along with the closely related Luri, Gilaki and Mazandarani,  Farsi is the native tongue of 58% of Iranians. Azeri and other Turkic languages account for 26%; Kurdish, 9%; and languages like Balochi and Arabic make up about 1% each. Some Iranian languages are critically endangered, such as Senaya, of the Aramaic family, with only about 500 speakers. Senaya is spoken by Assyrians from the western Kurdish region of Iran. Religion in Iran Approximately 89% of Iranians are Shia Muslim, while 9% more are Sunni. The remaining 2% are Zoroastrian, Jewish, Christian and Bahai. Since 1501, the Shia Twelver sect has dominated in Iran. The Iranian Revolution of 1979 placed Shia clergy in positions of political power; the Supreme Leader of Iran is a Shia ayatollah, or Islamic scholar and judge. Irans constitution recognizes Islam, Christianity, Judaism, and Zoroastrianism (Persias main pre-Islamic faith) as protected belief systems. The messianic Bahai faith, on the other hand, has been persecuted since its founder, the Bab, was executed in Tabriz in 1850. Geography At the pivot point between the Middle East and Central Asia, Iran borders on the Persian Gulf, the Gulf of Oman, and the Caspian Sea.  It shares land borders with Iraq and Turkey to the west; Armenia, Azerbaijan and Turkmenistan to the north; and Afghanistan and Pakistan to the east. Slightly larger than the US state of Alaska, Iran covers 1.6 million square kilometers (636,295 square miles).  Iran is a mountainous land, with two large salt deserts (Dasht-e Lut and Dasht-e Kavir) in the east-central section. The highest point in Iran is Mt. Damavand, at 5,610 meters (18,400 feet). The lowest point is sea level. Climate of Iran Iran experiences four seasons each year. Spring and fall are mild, while winters bring heavy snowfall to the mountains. In the summer, temperatures routinely top 38 °C (100 °F). Precipitation is scarce across Iran, with the national yearly average at about 25 centimeters (10 inches). However, the high mountain peaks and valleys get at least twice that amount  and offer opportunities for downhill skiing in the winter. Economy of Iran Irans majority centrally-planned economy depends upon oil and gas exports for between 50 and 70% of its revenue. The per capita GDP is a robust $12,800 US, but 18% of Iranians live below the poverty line and 20% are unemployed. About 80% of Irans export income comes from fossil fuels. The country also exports small amounts of fruit, vehicles, and carpets. The currency of Iran is the rial. As of June 2009, $1 US 9,928 rials. History of Iran The earliest archaeological findings from Persia date to the Paleolithic era, 100,000 years ago. By 5000 BCE, Persia hosted sophisticated agriculture and early cities. Powerful dynasties have ruled Persia, beginning with the Achaemenid (559-330 BCE), which was founded by Cyrus the Great. Alexander the Great conquered Persia in 300 BCE, founding the Hellenistic era (300-250 BCE). This was followed by the indigenous Parthian Dynasty (250 BCE - 226 CE) and the Sassanian Dynasty (226 - 651 CE). In 637, Muslims from the Arabian Peninsula invaded Iran, conquering the whole region over the next 35 years. Zoroastrianism faded away as more and more Iranians converted to Islam. During the 11th century, the Seljuk Turks conquered Iran bit by bit, establishing a Sunni empire. The Seljuks sponsored great Persian artists, scientists, and poets, including Omar Khayyam. In 1219, Genghis Khan and the Mongols invaded Persia, wreaking havoc across the country and slaughtering entire cities. Mongol rule ended in 1335, followed by a period of chaos. In 1381, a new conqueror appeared: Timur the Lame or Tamerlane. He too razed entire cities; after just 70 years, his successors were driven from Persia by the Turkmen. In 1501, the Safavid dynasty brought Shia Islam to Persia. The ethnically Azeri/Kurdish Safavids ruled until 1736, often clashing with the powerful Ottoman Turkish Empire to the west. The Safavids were in and out of power throughout the 18th century, with the revolt of former slave Nadir Shah and the establishment of the Zand dynasty. Persian politics normalized again with the founding of the Qajar Dynasty (1795-1925) and Pahlavi Dynasty (1925-1979). In 1921, the Iranian army officer Reza Khan seized control of the government. Four years later, he ousted the last Qajar ruler and named himself Shah. This was the origin of the Pahlavis, Irans final dynasty. Reza Shah tried to rapidly modernize Iran but was forced out of office by the western powers after 15 years because of his ties to the Nazi regime in Germany. His son, Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, took the throne in 1941. The new shah ruled until 1979  when he was overthrown in the Iranian Revolution  by a coalition opposed to his brutal and autocratic rule. Soon, the Shia clergy took control of the country, under the leadership of the Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini. Khomeini declared Iran a theocracy, with himself as the Supreme Leader. He ruled the country until his death in 1989; he was succeeded by Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.