AP European History Flashcards: The Scientific Revolution
Written by AP Content Team, Verified for 2026 AP Exams, Last updated: May 2026
Review key ideas with interactive flashcards. This set includes 11 cards to help you master important concepts.
Why did practices like alchemy and astrology remain popular during the Scientific Revolution?
They continued to appeal to elites because they shared a core idea with the new science: the belief in a predictable and knowable universe.
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Why did practices like alchemy and astrology remain popular during the Scientific Revolution?
They continued to appeal to elites because they shared a core idea with the new science: the belief in a predictable and knowable universe.
How did the work of Isaac Newton represent a major development of the Scientific Revolution?
Newton's laws of motion and universal gravitation exemplified the new scientific approach by using mathematics to describe a predictable and knowable universe, confirming the heliocentric model.
What is deductive reasoning, as promoted by René Descartes?
It is a method of reasoning that uses general principles and mathematics to arrive at specific, logical conclusions.
What is inductive reasoning, as promoted by Francis Bacon?
It is a method of reasoning that derives general principles from specific observations and experimentation, forming a key part of the new scientific method.
How did astronomers like Copernicus and Galileo challenge traditional authority?
Their new ideas and methods in astronomy questioned the authority of the ancients by providing evidence for a heliocentric, rather than an Earth-centered, view of the cosmos.
A scientist observes a chemical reaction and records the data, then forms a hypothesis based on that data. Which scientific reasoning method is being used?
The scientist is using inductive reasoning, as promoted by Francis Bacon, by moving from a specific experiment to a broader principle.
What was the overall effect of the Scientific Revolution on the understanding of the natural world?
It caused a fundamental shift where new ideas and methods based on observation and reason began to question and replace traditional knowledge and the authority of ancient thinkers.
What is the heliocentric view of the cosmos?
It is the astronomical model where the Earth and planets revolve around the Sun. This new idea questioned the authority of ancient and traditional knowledge which held that the Earth was the center.
What was the humoral theory of disease?
Espoused by Galen, it was the traditional belief that disease resulted from an imbalance of four essential fluids (humors) in the body.
What was the combined contribution of Bacon and Descartes to the Scientific Revolution?
They defined inductive and deductive reasoning, respectively, and promoted experimentation and mathematics, which together shaped the modern scientific method.
How did William Harvey's discoveries change the understanding of the human body?
Harvey's anatomical discoveries presented the body as an integrated system, challenging the traditional humoral theory of Galen by showing how parts like the heart and blood vessels worked together.