Physics and Geology

Abstract

The work of Copernicus on the heliocentric structure of the universe is usually considered the beginning of modern science. Discovery of the steady expansion of the universe, observed for the first time by Hubble, was another milestone in the history of astronomy. Research on the structure of atoms and research on the nature of light and other types of electromagnetic radiation also provided immensely important contributions to the modern scientific worldview. The stability of the Earth’s crust and the theory of continental drift are also discussed. This chapter includes biographies of Copernicus, Kepler, Hubble, Rutherford, Han, Meitner, Einstein, Newton, and Wegener.