one of two competing theories. He was showing signs ahead of his time of the scientific theory. To question something that seemed to make so much sense, at a time where it was unheard of to do so, was revolutionary, even if he did publish his work immediately.Another person who unknowingly contributed to the formation of the scientific theory was Tyco Brahe. Perhaps the most fundamental principle of the scientific theory is that of observation before conclusion. Tyco Brahe did not understand mathematics well enough to propose complicated theorems of celestial movement, such as Ptolemy in the 2nd century AD. What he did possess was the greatest observatory of his time and a keen ability to make detailed observations. Before his unfortunate demise at the dinner table of the emperor (“Let’s Go Europe, 2000”), he amassed a great amount of data so that other astronomers wouldn’t have to. Isaac Newton realized the importance of work such as Brahe’s when he said, “If I have seen farther [than those before me], it is because I have stood on the shoulders of Giants” [text]. Brahe’s observations led to great discoveries by those who used his data and observation methods. One such person was his student, Johannes Kepler. The text tells us that Kepler, who was trained for the Lutheran ministry, believed that the universe was built on “mystical mathematical relationships and a musical harmony of the heavenly bodies.” He spent his time trying to explain this divine invention by analyzing and working with Brahe’s huge collection of data. Using mathematical proofs, he confirmed that Copernicus had chosen the correct theory, as well as authored his three famous laws of planetary motion: planets move in elliptical (not spherical) motion around the sun, planets move at a non-uniform speed, and time required for planetary orbit is proportional to its distance from the sun.Galile...
