Chris Price
7/15/06
Physical Science
Galileo and Inertia
When many people think of the "Concept of Inertia" they think of Isaac Newton and his three "Laws of Motion" but in actuality another philosopher envisioned the concept. Aristotle believed that objects at rest remained at rest unless a force acted on them, but that objects in motion did not remain in motion unless a force acted constantly on them. But Galileo Galilei later proved that the analysis of Aristotle was incorrect because it failed to account properly for a hidden force: friction. Therefore Galileo is the actual founder of the "Concept of Inertia." He came upon the theory of inertia by considering four different scenarios involving a round object and two inclines.
The first scenario was comprised of two identical inclines right up against each other; he imagined these inclines were so smooth they had no friction. Then he envisioned a ball that was also so smooth that it had no friction, placed at a certain......
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