Timeline of gravitational physics and relativity

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Timeline of gravitational physics and general relativity

Before 1500

  • 3rd century BC - Aristarchus of Samos proposes heliocentric model, measures the distance to the Moon and its size

1500s

  • 1543 – Nicolaus Copernicus places the Sun at the gravitational center, starting a revolution in science
  • 1583 – Galileo Galilei induces the period relationship of a pendulum from observation (according to later biographer).
  • 1586 - Simon Stevin demonstrates that two objects of different mass accelerate at the same rate when dropped.
  • 1589 – Galileo Galilei describes a hydrostatic balance for measuring specific gravity.
  • 1590 – Galileo Galilei formulates modified Aristotelean theory of motion (later retracted) based on density rather than weight of objects.

1600s

  • 1602 – Galileo Galilei conducts experiments on pendulum motion.
  • 1604 – Galileo Galilei conducts experiments with inclined planes and induces the law of falling objects.
  • 1607 – Galileo Galilei arrives a mathematical formulation of the law of falling objects based on his earlier experiments.
  • 1608 – Galileo Galilei discovers the parabolic arc of projectiles through experiment.
  • 1609 - Johannes Kepler describes to motion of planets around the Sun, now known as Kepler's laws of planetary motion.
  • 1640 – Ismaël Bullialdus suggests an inverse-square gravitational force law.
  • 1665 – Isaac Newton introduces an inverse-square universal law of gravitation uniting terrestrial and celestial theories of motion and uses it to predict the orbit of the Moon and the parabolic arc of projectiles.
  • 1684 – Isaac Newton proves that planets moving under an inverse-square force law will obey Kepler's laws
  • 1686 – Isaac Newton uses a fixed length pendulum with weights of varying composition to test the weak equivalence principle to 1 part in 1000

1700s

1800s

1900s

1950s

1960s

1970s

After 1980

See also

References

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External links