Observation

Victorian writer Samuel Smiles quotes Dr Johnson, to the effect that we learn very little from what we see, and nearly everything from what we notice. As an example, he tells how Galileo deduced his laws of the pendulum, of such incalculable importance of modern science, after observing a chandelier swinging in the cathedral at Pisa.

56 words

Read the whole story

Return to the Index

Tags

Discovery and Invention (93) Galileo Galilei (2) Extracts from Scientific Literature (12) Education (21) Science and Scientists (22) Samuel Smiles (33) Comment and Opinion (70) Extracts from Literature (459) History (777)

Related Posts

for Observation

George Stephenson

The Grand Mechanic

The more that pioneering engineer George Stephenson understood of the world around him, the more his sense of wonder grew.

by Samuel Smiles 1812-1904

Discovery and Invention

A Leader by Example

George Stephenson won the admiration of French navvies by showing them how a Geordie works a shovel.

by Samuel Smiles 1812-1904

Discovery and Invention

Burning Daylight

George Stephenson argued that his steam engines were solar-powered.

by Samuel Smiles 1812-1904

Discovery and Invention

The Lessons of Nature

Samuel Smiles shows us two great achievements inspired by two tiny creatures.

by Samuel Smiles 1812-1904