The Scientific Revolution (1550-1700): Physics (1590-1666)

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One benefit which physicists enjoyed over scientists in other fields was that they could often demonstrate their findings conclusively, in the lab, or out in the open, such as from the leaning tower of Pisa. The demonstrability of the hypotheses of physicists meant that in many cases, their findings were more quickly absorbed into European common knowledge, without resistance from those who clung to Aristotelian explanations or the Church. For instance, Otto von Guericke gave a famous demonstration of the fact that air has weight and thus may be removed from an enclosed environment, causing phenomena within the airless environment to occur differently than phenomena in an environment containing air. Von Guericke is known for creating the 'Magdeberg hemispheres' that, though easily separated under normal conditions, could not be separated by two teams of sixteen horses once he drew the air from them with his pump. The acceptance borne of demonstrability allowed for the continuing development of physical theory at a rate more rapid than that of a discipline such as astronomy, whose founders were censored, or even burned. This is not to say that the progress of physics experienced no resistance. Certainly the less easily demonstrated findings of physicists often had their detractors, and theories such as Boyle's on the make up of matter, which were simply unable to be proved conclusively, aroused the ire of those who clung to the authoritative view of the Aristotelian system and the Church.

The advances made in physics, which allowed the scientists of the time to better understand the world around them, also produced ideas on how to manipulate that world through knowledge of it's functions. Physicists often doubled as inventors, where their knowledge of the laws of nature allowed them to apply those laws in a practical manner. Examples of these practical inventions include Torricelli's barometer, an instrument which retains it's basic form and is widely used today, Galileo's air thermometer, which, though imperfect due to its vulnerability to air pressure, set forth the principles that would eventually lead to the delicate and accurate instrument which prevails in modern times. Finally, van Guerke's air pump both allowed for further experimentation with the properties of gasses, and proved useful in many practical applications.

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