Abstract
A central problem in physics is to understand how stuff moves. The study of thrown and falling objects has considerably advanced our knowledge of spacetime and the way matter traces its path. The very beginning of classical mechanics in fact goes back to just such experiments. The basic question of free fall is to compute changes in position, while leaving things to themselves and gravity, after giving them an initial position and velocity.
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Notes
- 1.
Not only Galileo Galilei (1564–1642), but also Renaissance atomists such as Isaac Beeckman (1588–1637) and Sébastien Basson (ca. 1573–1625) were often very critical toward Aristotle, as e.g., explicitly in the title “Twelve books of natural philosophy against Aristotle” of Basson’s treatise from 1621. It is little unfair though that Aristotle was used as a sitting duck. The paradox is that Aristotle was in many ways more empirically focused than the atomists and natural philosophers of Ancient Greece.
- 2.
Laet nemen (soo den hoochgheleerden H. IAN CORNETS DE GROOT vlietichste ondersoucker der Naturens verborghentheden, ende ick ghedaen hebben) twee loyen clooten d’een thienmael grooter en swaerder als d’ander, die laet t’samen vallen van 30 voeten hooch, op een bart oft yet daer sy merckelick gheluyt tegen gheven, ende sal blijcken, dat de lichste gheen thienmael langher op wech en blijft dan de swaerste, maer datse t’samen so ghelijck opt bart vallen, dat haer beyde gheluyden een selve clop schijnt te wesen. S’ghelijcx bevint hem daetlick oock also, met twee evegroote lichamen in thienvoudighe reden der swaerheyt, daerom Aristoteles voornomde everedenheyt is onrecht.
- 3.
Perhaps the problem lay in this heavy substance being liquid. Turbulent fluctuations would have proved unavoidable and detrimental to accuracy.
- 4.
In contrast with some interpretations, one can easily imagine here the stimulating influence of religion and superstition for the development of mathematics and natural sciences more generally. Newton is probably a good example, but also Copernicus or Galileo have been supported and often positively influenced by organized religion. As a more trivial case, also today and more than once, a student starts studying physics driven by an honest desire to understand books and videos that are more obscure than they are deep.
- 5.
Galileo died on 8 January 1642 (Gregorian calendar) and Newton was born on 25 December 1642 (Julian calendar). When placed on the same calendar the two events fall in different years. Robert Newton, Isaac’s father, died some 3 months before Isaac was born.
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Maes, C. (2023). Free Fall. In: Facts of Matter and Light. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-33334-7_2
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-33334-7_2
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