Fall of Weights

The Equisite Experimentalist: Galileo’s penchant for live “trials” of his ideas inspires the author to do the very same

/ The Art of Science, Volume 20. Number II. 2009 / /

by Paolo PALMIERI

When Galileo Galilei was a student at the University of Pisa in the 1580s, physics was a loose bundle of ideas inherited from the Greeks, mostly from the philosopher Aristotle, via the mediation of the Latin Middle Ages. Projectiles keep going after being released by their projectors because air keeps pushing them for a while, as the most in vogue theory of the time would have it (though there were variations). Theirs is a violent motion. Heavy things fall downwards because the centre of the earth is the natural place for them to achieve their natural state of rest. Theirs is a natural motion. Pendulums are constrained motions. Is the motion of a pendulum violent or natural? Why does it turn back after reaching a summit? Why do violent motions such as those of cannon balls cease? These were the questions a professor of physics would investigate at that time.

Reflections-On-Motivations-e1374045073178

Reflections on Motivations and Durations of Ideas: Two revolutionary 16th-century thinkers both upended their contemporary scientific norms, an approach that could inspire innovative thinking even today

/ The Art of Science, Volume 20. Number II. 2009 /

by Efthalia STAIKOS

Breakthroughs, progress, solutions, new theories, modern research… all of these words conjure up images of discovery and contribution in the scien­tific world. Grasping the natural world and understanding what we cannot see provides a sense of satisfaction, even comfort, to most. Science, however, is an example of a field where solutions and progress are actually driven by a cer­tain dissatisfaction with what is already known. It is discomfort with the status quo that has motivated many scientists to push for new answers, alternative op­tions; and to test and ponder persistently until they are satisfied with a new reality. Many scientists throughout history questioned the laws of nature that guide the movement of the stars and planets. It was previously believed that until Galileo, scientists never began to truly speculate on the theories put forth by Aristotle. It did not seem as though anyone had really questioned and researched into creation of the universal systems until Galileo came along. As everyone was frantically searching for an answer they could be­lieve in, Galileo put forth solutions even though his research and his conclusions eventually led to his persecution.

Patrimony and Discovery: Since its beginning, science has been supported by a variety of patrons, from the popes and princes of the Renaissance to State funding, up to the new forms of social patronage of today

/ The Art of Science, Volume 20. Number II. 2009 / /

by Laura GIACALONE

The history of arts as we know it today wouldn’t be the same without the support provided by kings, popes and rich aristocratic families to musicians, painters and sculptors. This phenom­enon, which is usually referred to as “pa­tronage,” had its maximum development in Italy during Renaissance, when the major masterpieces in the history of art were conceived and came to life, mainly thanks to the influence of the House of Medici in Florence. Among the artists who benefited from their sponsorship were Brunelleschi, Donatello, Leonardo da Vinci and Michelangelo.

Medicean-Stars-e1374045205140

Medicean “Stars” of Scientific Patronage

/ The Art of Science, Volume 20. Number II. 2009 / /

by Laura GIACALONE

The Medici Granducal Archive (Mediceo del Principato)

For over two centuries, the Medici fam­ily ruled Tuscany as sovereign Grand Dukes. Their archival collection – called the Mediceo del Principato – has sur­vived virtually intact in the State Archive in Florence (Archivio di Stato di Firenze). It covers the chronological span of their rule: from the moment Cosimo I became Duke of Florence in 1537 to the death in 1743 of Anna Maria Luisa de’ Medici, sister of Gian Gastone, the last of the Medici Grand Dukes. In other words, it begins with Michelangelo’s work on the Last Judgment and ends with the birth of Thomas Jefferson.

And-Yet-It-Moves_Scene-e1374045577824

“And Yet It Moves…”: The film Galileo represents the neverending struggle for scientific freedom against all forms of censorship

/ The Art of Science, Volume 20. Number II. 2009 / /

by Laura GIACALONE

A yearly appointment not to be missed by film critics and moviego­ers from all around the world, the 66th edition of the Venice Film Fes­tival confirms itself as one of the most prestigious events in the film calendar, with a rich and variegated selection of international titles and the ever-present parade of stars and celebrities.

Live-Building_Museum-e1374045727488

Live Building: Architect Renzo Piano’s design for a science museum is a (literally) living example of environmentally-aware architecture

/ The Art of Science, Volume 20. Number II. 2009 /

by Efthalia STAIKOS

The California Academy of Sciences, guided by the mastermind architect Renzo Piano, has successfully created a self-sustaining, green structure. Its ex­cellence was acknowledged by the U.S. Green Building Council that awarded it Platinum status. LEED Platinum (Lead­ership in Energy and Environmental De­sign) is the highest rating a building can achieve. The Academy, a design of Renzo Piano’s, is now the greenest museum in the world, and the largest Platinum-rated public building in the world. The science that went into creating the building did nothing to take away from the beauty of its design, which uniquely integrates it into the surrounding Golden Gate Park.

Sculptural-Chemistry-1-e1374045890487

Sculptural Chemistry: Spatial intersections in steel works of sculptor Alfio Mongelli

/ The Art of Science, Volume 20. Number II. 2009 / /

by Genny DI BERT

“The field of physics/mathematics that characterizes the imposing works of Algio Mongelli is transformed by an expressive freedom that confounds any scientific pattern. The unity and syth­nesis achieved in his creations, whether large sculptural manifestations in stain­less steel or geometric graphic forms, re­veal the exceptional quality of this artist among the most successful contempo­rary artists.”

Thus wrote Nobel prize winner Rita Levi Montalcini in 1994 referring to the Roman artist Algio Mongelli (born 1939). An astute observation on the part of a perceptive scientist who, oblivious to the writings of the most renowned and profound art critics (Mussa, Masi, Strina­ti, Benincasa, Crispolti, Restany, Berger) arrived at the most defining aspect of the artist’s work: sythesis. It is from this core that his works originate––seemingly simplistic, oddly logical in content, their structure a relationship between space and substance.

solitude-of-prime-numbers-e1374046962974

Primal Emotions: Author and physicist Paolo Giordano uses a mathematic principle as a metaphor for the human condition

/ Columns, Literature, The Art of Science, Volume 20. Number II. 2009 / /

by Laura GIACALONE

A man whose mind has gone astray should study mathematics,” said philosopher Francis Bacon, pointing out a strict relationship between mathemati­cal thought and that kind of extraordi­nary, sometimes borderline, sensitivity that is commonly associated to poetry. That must be the case of Paolo Giorda­no, a 27-year-old Italian scientist working on a doctorate in particle physics, who has recently won five literary awards – included the prestigious Premio Strega, Italy’s answer to the Man Booker Prize – with his bestselling debut novel The Solitude of Prime Numbers.

«< 22 23 24 25 26 >»