Discover how mathematics and science have propelled historyFrom Ancient Greece to the Enlightenment and then on to modern times, Shifting the Earth: The Mathematical Quest to Understand the Motion of the Universe takes readers on a journey motivated by the desire to understand the universe and the motion of the heavens. The author presents a thought-provoking depiction of the sociopolitical environment in which some of the most prominent scientists in history lived and then provides a mathematical account of their contributions.From Eudoxus to Einstein, this fascinating book describes how, beginning in ancient times, pioneers in the sciences and mathematics have dramatically changed our vision of who we are as well as our place in the universe. Readers will discover how Ptolemy's geocentric model evolved into Kepler's heliocentric model, with Copernicus as the critical intermediary. The author explains how one scientific breakthrough set the stage for the next one, and he also places the scientists and their discoveries within the context of history, including:* Archimedes, Apollonius, and the Punic Wars* Ptolemy and the rise of Christianity* Copernicus and the Renaissance* Kepler and the Counter-Reformation* Newton and the Enlightenment* Einstein and the detonation of the atom bombEach chapter presents the work of a single scientist or mathematician, building on the previous chapters to demonstrate the evolutionary process of discovery. Chapters begin with a narrative section and conclude with a mathematical presentation of one of the scientist's original works. Most of these mathematical presentations, including the section on Einstein's special relativity, are accessible using only basic mathematics; however, readers can skip the mathematical sections and still follow the evolution of science and mathematics.Shifting the Earth is an excellent book for anyone interested in the history of mathematics and how the quest to understand the motion of the heavens has influenced the broader history of humankind.

PREFACE ixACKNOWLEDGMENTS xv1 PERFECTION 12 PERFECTIONISTS 5A Tour of Athens / 5Plato's Challenge / 8Eudoxus' Universe / 10The Math (a mathematical presentation requiring linear algebra)/ 143 THE ICONOCLAST 24Insanity / 24A Disturbing Insight / 29Aristarchus and On the Sizes and Distances of the Sun andMoon (a mathematical presentation requiring trigonometry)/ 294 INSTIGATORS 38A Heavy Hand / 38Patriarchs / 41The Irony / 43Fun / 44Apollonius' Osculating Circle and the Ellipse (amathematical presentation requiring calculus) / 46Fun's Harvest / 625 RETROGRADE 63The Imperial Theocracy / 63Ptolemy's Universe / 67Ptolemy and The Almagest (a mathematical presentationrequiring trigonometry) / 70Inspiration / 916 REVOLUTIONARY 93Possibilities / 93Copernicus' On Revolutions, the Pursuit of Elegance/ 103The Model (a mathematical presentation requiring trigonometry)/ 106An Elegant Result / 1167 RENEGADES 117Countering the Reformation / 117The Trio: Tycho, Kepler, and Rudolf / 119Meanwhile in Italy / 131New Astronomy, in Kepler's Own Likeness /134A Path Strewn with Casualties / 136The Physicist's Law / 142Tycho's Gift / 145Mars' Bed / 147Configuring the Ellipse: The Second Law (a mathematicalpresentation requiring trigonometry) / 149The Mentor / 1678 THE AUTHORITY 168Louis XIV, the Sun King / 168Newton, the Math King / 172The Influential Principia / 181Without Fluxions (a mathematical presentation of Newton'slaws of motion and the ellipse requiring high school algebra)/ 184Newton's Laws, Kepler's Laws, and Calculus (acalculus-based presentation of Newton's laws of motion andthe ellipse) / 207Newton's Agenda / 2249 RULE BREAKERS 225Beginnings / 225Debunking the Ether / 232The Established and the Unknown / 240Trouble / 246Exiting the Quantum Universe / 249Bending the Light / 251An Ergodic Life / 252Victory / 254The Experiment / 259The Famous and the Infamous / 260Exodus / 264The End / 267Relativity / 268Special Relativity (a mathematical presentation requiring highschool algebra) / 271EPILOGUE 293BIBLIOGRAPHY 295INDEX 301