The birth of physics can be traced to the Copernican, Galilean and Newtonian revolutions of the seventeenth century. The Copernican picture of the world was to replace the geocentric Ptolemaic model. Tycho Brahe's innovations in observation brought about an order of magnitude improvement in the determination of the motions of the planets. These observations resulted in the formulation of Kepler's laws of planetary motion, which were to be crucial in Newton's discovery of the laws of motion.At the same time, Galileo's pioneering telescopic discoveries provided support for the Copernican picture of the world.

Galileo's brilliant experiments laid the foundations for the development of Newton's laws of motion. His experimental skill led to the derivation the law of acceleration as well as constructing the best telescopes for terrestrial and astronomical observations. His observations of the satellites of Jupiter provided an analogue for the motions of the planets about the Sun. His advocacy of the Copernican system of the world led to his trial and condemnation for heresy. His great realisation, the foundation of modern scientific enquiry, was that the laws of physics can be expressed in mathematical form.