Eureka Moments

EUREKA !!




Scientists from Ancient Greece - Did some REALLY COOL STUFF

Thales and some others - who may have started it all

And FAMOUS SCIENTISTS different lists and ways to search ...

How is this or how are they important to us today? What could we possibly have in common?

Well, For example: We are studying MOTION. 2500 years people were too...

Looking for evidence of acceleration and gravity? Have you ever REALLY watched water fall? Have you ?


Strato (who died around 268 B.C., he is sometimes called Straton) did. he observed much more carefully than Aristotle, and realized that falling bodies usually accelerate. He made two important points: rainwater pouring off a corner of a roof is clearly moving faster when it hits the ground than it was when it left the roof, because a continuous stream can be seen to break into drops which then become spread further apart as they fall towards the ground.





Famous in the history of "Discovery" is Archimedes' shout... EUREKA!! .. truth or fable?
We are not certain,... but the math is proven!



We still use the word today.... ( and the math!)

We call them “Eureka” moments, sparks or breakthroughs, and we say things like “The lightbulb just went on.” We talk about good ideas as if they burst forth in one instant, and in one mind. But what if ideas are actually the works of hunches cobbled together and incubated over time?

This is how author Steven Johnson talks about ideas. He rejects the history books that tell romantic stories of inventors working alone in a laboratory, and instead presents stories of collaboration — of “ideas built on top of other ideas.”

In his book Where Good Ideas Come From: The Natural History of Innovation, Mr. Johnson traces seven centuries of innovation and argues that these tales of invention — a swath that takes in everything from the printing press to the Internet, the pencil to the flush toilet and an incubator made entirely from car parts — prove that an “idea is not a single thing, it is more like a swarm.”

“Ideas are growths of other peoples’ hunches,” Mr. Johnson said.

Read more: http://www.nationalpost.com/news/canada/Eureka+moments+really+come+flash/3646918/story.html#ixzz11yLZQ4bL

So what should one look for in a biography of a scientist?

Students should read about the phenomenon that was studied, how the experimental apparatus was configured, what was done with the findings, what specific errors and corrections were made, where ideas came from, and how the scientist’s colleagues, the public, the press, the government, or the funders reacted to the work. Students should be aware that scientists
encounter obstacles and experience setbacks as well as successes. Students should consider books that describe the work done by men and women in different areas of science, from various cultures, and who lived in different time periods.



Here is a great site to get one started searching for Great Women in Science... (yes, it is OK to play the games while you are at it)

The Web site iWASwondering.org is inspired by Women's Adventures in Science, a biography series for middle-school-aged students co-published by the Joseph Henry Press and Scholastic Library Publishing. Women's Adventures in Science chronicles the lives of contemporary, working scientists. Despite their varied backgrounds and life stories, these remarkable women all share one important belief: the work they do is important and it can make the world a better place.




....Many have made great sacrifices... often breaking social barriers along the way..


















Scientists change and improve how we understand the universe... Sir Isaac for example..




Other links for scientists
Famous Scientists and a Time Line of Scientists, a TOP TEN LIST you might even find a video of your scientist here on "BIOGRAPHY"

Here is a site that was put together by another student working on the same project
Sizzling Smart Scientists .

Don't forget your textbooks may provide examples too!

	The Light Stuff		Einstein's Big Idea homepage

the Comments box is open...

What have you discovered?


Have you ever had a EUREKA moment?


Who interests you most?