Galileo (say ‘gal-lil-lay-oh’) was one of the greatest thinkers of all time. He was born in 1564, in Pisa, Italy. He was interested in how heavy and light objects fall to the ground… Dr Whatsit says:"Ah, yes! I know this story. The two cannon balls reached the ground at the same time. You proved that when objects of different weights are dropped at the same height and time, they take the same amount of time to fall to the ground. My advice is to stay indoors and to make sure that I’m not standing underneath the Leaning Tower when you next visit as I’ve still got a thumping headache!" TRY! Try Galileo’s experiment for yourself with a ping-pong ball and a piece of plasticine rolled into the same shape and size. Remember to drop the balls at the same time and from the same height. Get into the Swing! Galileo attended the University of Pisa. He would get very angry with his teachers when they tried to make him believe ideas without proving them first. Here’s a question for you: Why can’t you hear anything at all when you stand on your head? a Because sound cannot enter your ears when you are upside down. b Because your brain is confused. c Hang on a minute, I’ll just go and see! If you answered a) or b) then you’re wrong! But if you answered c) then you’re starting to think like Galileo. He believed that you should always test ideas to prove whether they are right or wrong. This way of doing things marked the beginning of modern science.
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