Out of the Shadow of a Giant: Hooke, Halley, & the Birth of Science by John Gribbin (PDF)

Description

The authors of Ice Age “present a well-documented argument that [Newton] owed more to the ideas of others than he admitted” (Kirkus Reviews). Robert Hooke and Edmond Halley, whose place in history has been overshadowed by the giant figure of Newton, were pioneering scientists within their own right, and instrumental in establishing the Royal Society. Although Newton is widely regarded as one of the greatest scientists of all time and the father of the English scientific revolution, John and Mary Gribbin uncover the fascinating story of Robert Hooke and Edmond Halley, whose scientific achievements neatly embrace the hundred years or so during which science as we know it became established. They argue persuasively that, even without Newton, science would have made a great leap forward in the second half of the seventeenth century, headed by two extraordinary figures, Hooke and Halley. “Science readers will thank the Gribbins for restoring Hooke and Halley to the prominence that they deserve.”—Publishers Weekly “Engaging . . . They offer proof that Hooke was an important scientist in his own right, and often had physical insights that were borrowed (usually without acknowledgement) by Newton.”—Choice

User’s Reviews

Reviews from Amazon users which were colected at the time this book was published on the website:

⭐I recommend buying the hard cover. Is worth the difference. The typeset is large and nice to read. The content of the book is brilliant and illustrates the dangers of simplifying facts about history and enhancing the role that individual super wise geniuses ave had in our understanding of nature.

⭐This is a book that tells a story that is known by some, but hasn’t pierced the popular impression.Newton was brilliant, and made important advances in mathematics, physics, and mathematical physics. He also hated sharing credit. Perhaps best known is his feud with Leibniz, who co-invented calculus. Newton misused his position with the Royal Society to fake a report claiming that Leibniz plagiarized him, which is all but certainly not true. (This is information I learned years before reading this book.)I have also been long aware of Newton’s feud with Hooke, although this book added greatly to my understanding of it. Hooke made great contributions to biology, geology, geography, architecture, engineering, astronomy, and many other fields, as well as, of course, physics. That he is mostly known today for his law about springs likely has a lot to do with Newton’s efforts to suppress his reputation.After an early burst of contributions to physics and math, Newton withdrew to devote his time to alchemy and mysticism. Hooke, meanwhile, began to understand that gravity was universal, that the gravitational force was centripetal, and also to have a basic sense of inertia and momentum. But he lacked the mathematical wherewithal to codify these insights into the physics we understand today. The younger Halley, in his pre-comet days, realized that If Newton could be engaged to act on Hooke’s insights great progress in physics could be made. The result of his entreaties to Newton was Newton’s laws of gravitation and motion. But, once having achieved them, Newton couldn’t share. He worked hard to bury Hooke’s important contributions.Newton’s famous quote “If I have seen further than others, it is by standing upon the shoulders of giants.” is actually from a letter to Hooke. But, as the authors point out, it may have been a jab at Hooke’s short stature and hunched posture. As true as it is, it hardly captures Newton’s actions toward Hooke and others.Ultimately, this book is about two-thirds about what Hooke achieved, and about one-third about what Halley achieved. Boyle, Wren, Oldenburg, Flamsteed, Newton, and others appear, sometimes as foils. It was a time of great advancement in science, much occurring in England. This is a book about the fundamental contributions of Hooke and Halley. You can form your own opinions about the others.

⭐I enjoyed the book but was disappointed that the authors did not make a better case for Hooke’s claim to have been the first to discover the inverse square law. The Authors discuss Mr Horrocks use of the circular or “orbiting” pendulum to predict the elliptical motion of a comet. Mr Hooke had already conceived of the inverse square law simply by the common sense analysis of the reduction of intensity of light and sound according to the square of the distance from the source. Viewing a circular pendulum in operation he would immediately realize that it acted PRECISELY as it were orbiting the center of the Earth but with a gravity reduced by the ratio of the “semi diameter” of the orbit and the height to the pivot point. Both Wren and Hooke knew of Huygens calculations of the reduction of the apparent value of gravity near the equator caused by centrifugal force due to the rotation of the Earth. Huygens value of 1/17 squared proved he understood the physics of the circular pendulum as well. He knew an imaginary pendulum orbiting in a empty slot cut through the center of the Earth at the equator would orbit in a little over 84 minutes or 1/17 of a 24 hour day. Hooke would know that the Moon orbits the Earth in 27.3 days therefore, if gravity were unchanged, the distance to moon would be the square of 17x 27.3 or 464.1 squared or 215389 earth semi diameters. This would make the moon 300 times larger than the earth which is ridiculous yet the calculations is correct. The only conclusion he can draw is that the gravity of the earth at the distance of the moon is reduced. Estimated of the distance to the moon at the time was about 60 Earth semi diameters. If the square Law were correct the Earth’s gravity at the moon would be 1/3600 that of gravity at the earths surface reducing the calculated distance to 59.8 Earth Radii ( or if you prefer the cube root of 2315289 = 59.94 Earth Radii.) Hooke would know that planets would obey the square law of something pretty damn close.A number of years ago, long before beign made aware of the controversy between Hooke and Newton, I was examining the possible use of pendulums by ancient societies to establish standards of length when I discovered the circular or “orbital” pendulum. Its properties were as startling as they were obvious. In a few hours I had calculated distance to the moon and the center of mass of the two bodies about which the orbit would take place. What would happen if I calculated the apparent distance that the sun orbits the Earth ?. These simple grade school mathematical calculations soon showed that the the sun is much larger than the earth, that we orbit it, and that its density cannot be much more than 1/4 that of the Earth. Maybe the Author never saw a circular pendulum in operation.

⭐I don’t know whether Newton was really the “serial plagiarist” the Gribbins allege, but I sure was glad to hear about another great pioneer of physics. This is a favorite era of mine because it still has one foot in superstition and hereditary status while the other foot is sticking its toe into the Enlightenment.

⭐This is the question that the book ultimately asks, and I enjoyed how the authors answered it. From the book descriptions, I thought that this book would be similar to an alternative history, a sort-of what would have happened had Isaac Newton not been born – would science have grown the way it did. Authors John Gribbin and Mary Gribbin didn’t take this approach but instead wrote two interlacing biographies, of Robert Hooke and Edmond Halley, two great leaders of the scientific revolution. The biographies are very good and it was great to have these scientists brought out of the shadow of Isaac Newton. I recommend this book for anyone interested in the history of science.Disclosure: I received a complimentary copy of this book via Netgalley for review purposes.

⭐This is fun to read, very informative, well researched, and sure to change the traditional view of Newton. He comes across as both brilliant (which he was) and eager to take credit for what others did before and during his lifetime.

⭐I wondered sometimes if I was reading a book of historical events or a glossy gossip mag. But this is what made it a truly riveting and gripping read. It is as though the book hasn’t a single full stop from beginning to end (the authors often get carried away) but it holds your attention throughout like a drama of Shakespearean proportions. It goes on regular brief tangents, but each of these are veryinteresting in and of themselves – no line of the story is surrendered for a less interesting one.As I suggested, the book is dramatically written with the authors clearly taking sides (they likely wear Robert Hooke pyjamas to bed!) and do paint Newton and others to be villains who need to be called out for their lies and deception (despite the fact that they’ve been dead for the last 300 years…). But seeing as the opinion of the masses to this day see Newton, wrongfully, as the mastermind of some of the worlds most monumental scientific discoveries – you can forgive the authors for their near tabloid-level criticisms of the man. Credit where credit is due as they say and Hooke really has been majorly deprived of due credit to say the least. And I believe had the authors not taken such an incendiary angle in their account of this era of history, so many people would likely not have read this or have ever been made aware of the mainstream inaccuracies.Every claim the authors make is almost always backed up with first hand evidence in the form of letters and diaries from the men themselves. The snippets given were my favorite parts – the charming way they had of speaking at the time and how they spell’d every word as theye saw fit: “I waited on Prince Rupert to our Assembly, where were tried several experiments of Mr. Boyle’s Vacuum: a man thrusting in his arme; upon exhaustion of the ayre, had his flesh immediately swelled, so as the bloud was neere breaking the vaines, & insufferable: he drawing it out, we found it all speckled.”While the authors are clearly of a scientific background, I was disappointed to see one of the most important physical laws ever discovered incorrectly paraphrased in the book (neglecting to mention the external nature – “impressis” of the force acting in Newton’s first law. The only reason I bring this up is because Newton explicitely defined this so as to remove any ambiguity that may be adopted by future scholars!). But everything else is interpreted flawlessly from a scientific standpoint.While I originally would not be a supporter of such harsh criticisms of what are now historical figures, I can’t help but find myself now in the same boat as the authors – rooting for the little guys, the true giants!285 pages. Small text but reads very easy.

⭐The blurb says it all….Robert Hooke was one of the greatest scientists of his time; also an architect who designed the dome of St. Paul and worked alongside his friend Christopher Wren. It’s about time he’s rescued from his undeserved obscurity. Well-written, well researched. A Must-Read.

⭐An excellent book in very good condition. Shows in detail what a self-serving swine Newton was in that he owed so much to Hooke and then effectively wrote him out of the story! Grr! Oxford University, which Hooke attended, should do something dramatic to right this grave historic wrong!

⭐This book is very well written, explained and documented. It transports you to the time in London of the Great Fire, plagues and scientific revolutions. It takes apart several myths about Newtonian Mechanics and the bitrh of the scientific method with new insights and good understanding of science, facts and the social and political context of its time. The accuracy of the facts and balance of their interpretation can be easily checked using the extended bibliography and sources given. It is highly recommended for all levels of expertise: from specialised researchers to just curious readers without science background… I have read both the paperback and the hard cover versions. Both are fine and well printed, easy to read. The hardcover version is specially good if you want to read it at home and keep it as the treasure it is. The paperback reads well and is good on the road.

⭐A true story of two greatly overlooked polymaths and giants of British science full of personal intrigue and monumental achievement. Couldn’t put it down.

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