Who is the Father of Physics? (Galileo, Newton, and Einstein)

Galileo (1564–1642) is often called the Father of Modern Science and Observational Physics. Before Galileo, science was mostly philosophical, relying on the ancient ideas of Aristotle. Galileo was the first to insist that the laws of nature must be mathematically formulated and tested through rigorous experiments. He famously dropped spheres of different masses from the Leaning Tower of Pisa to prove that gravity accelerates all objects equally, laying the very foundation for the scientific method.

Isaac Newton (1643–1727) took Galileo's early ideas and built the framework for all of Classical Mechanics. In his monumental 1687 book, the Principia, Newton formulated the Three Laws of Motion and the Law of Universal Gravitation. His mathematical formulas successfully explained how planets orbit the sun and how apples fall to the ground, proving that the same physical laws apply everywhere in the universe. For over 200 years, 'physics' essentially meant 'Newtonian physics'.

By the early 20th century, scientists realized that Newton's laws didn't work perfectly when dealing with things moving near the speed of light or at the subatomic level. Enter Albert Einstein (1879–1955). With his Special and General Theories of Relativity, Einstein revolutionized our understanding of space, time, gravity, and energy (E=mc²). His work birthed the era of 'Modern Physics', fundamentally changing how humanity views the cosmos.