SCIENCE & ISLAM ep2 2of6 | The Empire of Reason | موالإسلا العلم

Professor Al-Khalili travels to northern Syria to discover how, a thousand years ago, the great astronomer and mathematician Al-Biruni estimated the size of the earth to within a few hundred miles of the correct figure.
He discovers how medieval Islamic scholars helped turn the magical and occult practice of alchemy into modern chemistry.

He discovers how medieval Islamic scholars helped turn the magical and occult practice of alchemy into modern chemistry.
In Cairo, he tells the story of the extraordinary physicist Ibn al-Haytham, who helped establish the modern science of optics and proved one of the most fundamental principles in physics - that light travels in straight lines.
Prof Al-Khalili argues that these scholars are among the first people to insist that all scientific theories are backed up by careful experimental observation, bringing a rigour to science that didn't really exist before.

First shown on BBC4 12/01/2009
Professor Jim Al-Khalili presents Science and Islam

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[mado1o]

@stardingo747 Actually Egyptians were tough enough to kick the mongols ass back and return the arab dignity..egyptians have never lost one battle against mongols ..the hyksos were the only asians who conquer egypt at the pharo time ..but at the end hyksos perished and the egyptian remains and there was no arabs at this time ..and nothing is racist about that ,it is history ..but nowadays i don't think that asians r weak ..i think they give us a good example of muslims so i like them

[9056666]

@mado1o i was reffering to stardingo747 comment :)

[mado1o]

@9056666 he talks about the GOD here ..and what he says is totally untrue

[salyha1]

knowledge is power! thanks 

[StormAngel13]

Although Jim is quite correct in most of the things he says here, he had made 2 mistakes here: it was Eratosthenes that measured the circumference of the earth using this method (Aristophanes was in the business of writing comedies) and the Greeks measured the distance between Asuan and Alexandria using odometers, early versions of modern ones (essentially wooden boxes on wheels dragged by mules). But he is a pretty good professor and teacher really, I had him at uni on relativity theory :D

[YoureSmokingCrack]

Trolls galore who come here for what exactly? To share truth or to spread hate, or is spreading truth through hate? Your lives are truly pathetic if you have nothing better to do but to be a hate mongering internet troll...seriously think about what you say and what your are doing and ask yourself if what you are doing is making any changes what soever...no they are not. Much like the life of an Internet troll, its a complete waste of time. BBC is reputable, would they run this if they were lyin

[RealRapAndHiphp]

@stardingo747 who said arabs hate asians? and think they are weak?

[arabu2005]

@kalefles idiot is you ..you like killers and thiefs..? you like prostitution? it looks that you like it..

[arabu2005]

@kalefles you better shout up... remember the crusades .. and that last one atacked constaniopolis.... a christian citadel..the most wealthy..in that time..

[kalefles]

@stardingo747 Malay people are sucking up to Arabs and Islam only spread there by trade. In fact, Wahabi Islam (one of the most retarded variants of it) is spreading there like wildfire. Doesn't talk FOR these people. And violent they are, burning down non-Muslim religious buildings like churches and restricting rights for everyone, even non-Muslims who were there before them.

Seeing these barbarous acts, I have come to conclude that a Pig is even more worth than this muhammad figure.