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Johannes Kepler

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LA FISICA SPERIMENTA… L’INGLESE

JOHANNES KEPLER Kepler was born on December 27, 1571 in Weil, Germany.

He was placed in a Lutheran seminary where his mathematical ability flourished and his religious opinions became controversial.

Kepler’s interest in planets led to a life – long friendship with Galileo and a collaboration with the great astronomer Tycho Brahe. Brahe, a believer in the Ptolemaic universe with the Earth at the centre, observed the heavens without the aid of a telescope and recorded volumes of data.

Contrary to Brahe’s position, Kepler supported the Copernican theory of the universe with the sun at the center of the solar system. Despite this difference, Brahe allowed Kepler to use his data to develop three laws of planetary motion. Kepler suggested that a magnetic force existed between the sun and the planets. Fifty years later, Newton showed that Kepler’s laws are a natural result of the force of gravity.

Kepler explored how a telescope refracts light and studied the nature of human vision. He identified the pupil as a diaphragm through which light rays enter the eye and described how those rays are refracted. He even suggested that people with poor vision had eyes that focused light rays either in front of or just behind their retina.

Political unrest forced Kepler to move from one city to another. He was appointed Royal Astronomer to Rudolph II, but the unpredictable times meant an unpredictable salary. In 1611 the death of his wife affected him deeply and the local ministry decided to deny him communion because of his liberal religious beliefs. He remarried, but happier times were shattered when his mother was accused of witchcraft. The ensuing legal battle left Kepler drained.

In 1618 Kepler published what he considered to be his greatest work. In his book, Harmonices Mundi, Kepler showed that musical scales could be derived from the velocities of the planets.

After completing this work, Kepler believed he had brought harmony to the heavens.

GLOSSARY

heavens – cieli refracts – rifrange diaphragm – diaframma

focused – messi a fuoco unrest – fermento unpredictable – imprevedibile

meant – implicavano shattered – frantumati witchcraft – stregoneria

drained – impoverito, logorato

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ACTIVITIES

1. Write the Italian of these English words from the passage:

Seminary ... Friendship ...

Believer ... Without ...

Data ... System ...

Allowed ... Motion ...

Either ... Behind ...

Affected ... Deeply ...

To deny ... Beliefs ...

2. Write TRUE or FALSE for the following statements:

a) Kepler was born in 1751 in Weil, Germany. ...

b) Brahe believed in the Ptolemaic universe with the Earth at the centre. ...

c) Kepler didn’t support the Copernican theory. ...

d) He developed three laws of planetary motion. ...

e) He studied the nature of eye vision. ...

f) He was appointed Royal Astronomer to Rudolph II. ...

g) His second wife was accused of witchcraft. ...

h) In 1816 he published his greatest work “Harmonices Mundi”. ...

3. Answer the following questions:

a) When and where was Kepler born?

b) Which laws did he develop?

c) What did he explore?

d) What is his greatest work?

e) What did he show in this book?

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