• Lesson 96: Compound Microscope
• Lesson 97: William Gilbert
• Lesson 98: The Newspaper
• Lesson 99: The Telescope

Compound Microscope

The compound microscope uses two lenses to make an image bigger. The bigger lens is nearest the object, and the smaller is the eyepiece. You multiply the magnification power of the first lens by the power of the second lens, to get the total magnification power.

William Gilbert

The world before William was the world before the cause of magnetism was discovered. As you may have guessed, he discovered the cause of magnetism, though electromagnetism was already known to exist. He got interested in magnetism from work before him. He brought down in the old magnetism theory. He founded the scientific method, and was the first to write it down.

The Newspaper

Newspapers were used to spread information about events. The first documents like newspapers were in the roman empire, but they were written in Latin for the class that could read Latin, the people with the most power.

This changed as the printing press was created, and the newspaper became written in the common language. It lost value as the internet rose, as not many people could have them.

The Telescope

Telescopes work like microscopes. The bigger lens is nearer the stars, and the smaller, the eyepiece. The big lens is bent, and takes the light and they come together in the center of the tube. Then the light comes out to the eyepiece, and makes an image; closer up than with the naked eye.

• Lesson 91: The Mercator Projection Map
• Lesson 92: Mercator
• Lesson 93: Tycho Brahe
• Lesson 94: The Backstaff

The Mercator Projection Map/Mercator

The Mercator Projection Map was a good tool for navigating the sea. Mercator also invented the first globe. Both of these were used when Portugal sailed the seas and discovered some new islands.

Tycho Brahe

Tycho made observations that proved Aristotle wrong (below). He was partners with Nicolaus Copernicus. He had his own worldview:

The planets go around the sun, yet the sun and moon go around the Earth. The planets known at the time were: Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, and Saturn. The The Heliocentric Theory was that the earth was just another planet, and the moon went around the earth. This is now not a theory, but truth. Aristotle’s philosophy was that the earth was at the center of the universe/solar system, and the sun and moon acted like planets.

The Backstaff

The Backstaff helped navigate the sea (like the globe, and Mercator’s map). It was made with two sights that could be moved to adjust the light. The sun’s shadow (labeled as sunlight above) and the sight line met at a point in green above.

Aristotle’s philosophy vs. Tycho’s observations

• Lesson 66: Spectacles
• Lesson 67: Mechanical Clocks
• Lesson 68: Paper Mills
• Lesson 69: Robert Grosseteste

Eye Glasses (Spectacles)

Glasses had a BIG impact on history. They allowed scholars to work later into their life. This boosted books production. There was no more fear of getting old. As time went on, until Teddy Roosevelt’s life, glasses were not common among the lower class. When Teddy Roosevelt had his picture taken with glasses on it was considered cool to wear glasses.

Mechanical Clocks

Mechanical Clocks were a big advance in timekeeping. They made it so people could have events at a certain time. The gears inside made two hands move to show time.

Paper Mills

People used to wear linen clothes. When these clothes got old, people wouldn’t use them any more; therefore, someone would come and pick up the clothes, and take them to the mill. There, they would use the mill to smash them into a pulp, squeeze the fibers out, and use the fibers to make paper.

Inventions used in the paper mill: Cam; Gear; Windmill.

Robert Grosseteste

• He was a teacher at Oxford, England.
• He made great advancements in the field of optics.
• He helped create the Scientific Method.

• Lesson 61: Buttons
• Lesson 62: Oil Painting
• Lesson 63: Cannons
• Lesson 64: Spinning Wheel

Buttons

Buttons were invented as a strap to replace pins and brooches. They were made of metal, but, in time, declined to plastic. They started a change in clothing, and became to the strap of the Blue Jeans invented by Levi Strauss.

Oil Painting

Jan Van Eyck

Jan Van Eyck was not the inventor of oil paint. He just spread oil painting. He spread it to Spain by going to king Philip the (I don’t know what number)’s court to paint.

Oil Paint is…

• …dry paint made from dry materials, mixed with oil.
• benefits of oil paint include:
  • It is dry. It can be set out and re-hydrated by adding more oil.
  • It makes more realistic paintings.

Cannons

Cannons were a big weapon, coming in many sizes and abilities (e.g. small; big; long barrel; short barrel, etc.). They use gunpowder to fire. They were invented by the Chinese and was usually spread to the side the cannon was pointing at.

Spinning Wheel

The spinning wheel was a much better way to make cotton. It made cotton 10 times as fast as the other hand-spun cotton. The was also a big change in clothing, like the button was.