The seven ages of science. 1/7 Age of ingenuity.

Radio documentary presented by Lisa Jardine who traces the evolution of scientific endeavour in Britain over the last four centuries. Lisa Jardine describes how the 17th century was a great age of technical inventiveness and how London became renowned for its technical innovation and ingenuity. At the time, Robert Hooke was rebuilding the city of London, with Christopher Wren, and working on inventions. Science historian, Simon Schaffer talks about Hooke's character and his work on advancing mechanical learning. Felicity Henderson, mentions how Hooke's diaries give a sense of his endeavour, describing his dealings with the clock maker Thomas Tompion. London became the centre of precision clock making for a century and this in turn led to seeing the universe in a more mechanical way. Jim Bennett from the Science Museum, explores how the improvement of clocks led to a hope that new mechanical devices would reveal further insight into God's creation of the universe. Hooke made a device to reflect this desire when he perfected the microscope. His Micrographia, published in 1655, became a best seller with its detailed illustrations of items as they appeared under the microscope. To Hooke's contemporaries, Micrographia recovered a world lost at the fall of Adam by providing a clearer way to see things. Lisa Jardine looks at a copy of Micrographia with Felicity Henderson, and they discuss detailed pictures of blue mould and a louse. Felicity Henderson then talks about another device invented by Hooke, the air-pump, and describes some of the experiments performed with it. The air-pump was popular with the members of the newly opened Royal Society. Science historian, Patricia Fara talks about the early days of the Royal Society and the dramatic experiments designed for its members. Hooke produced a steady stream of inventions and Lisa Jardine mentions some of these. Discussion then turns to Isaac Newton, famous for discovering the mechanical laws that govern the universe, and his obsession with these forces. Hooke always maintained it was him that had discovered the path of planets around the sun and that Newton stole the idea from him, but it was probably beyond him mathematically. Simon Schaffer talks about Newton's work. Newton brought mathematics and philosophy together to describe the laws of motion. Jim Bennett believes the origins of this type of mathematical thinking, which is based on experiment, can be traced back to the Civil War and he discusses this. Newton's Principia Mathematica, published in 1687, is briefly discussed along with the idea that the giants, on whose shoulders Newton says he stood, were instrument makers and mechanical artisans spread throughout London. These people ultimately made the instruments that would provide Newton with the data he needed for his laws of motion and gravity.