Free Fall Galileo and Newton

Galileo Galilei ( ) “I do not feel obliged to believe that the same god who has endowed us with sense, reason and intellect has intended us to forgo their use.”

Facts about Galileo  Father of Kinematics (How)  Concluded that all objects fall at same rate of acceleration.  Demonstrated the scientific method in developing the kinematics of free fall motion.  Tested his hypothesis through experimentation.

More Galileo  Used reductionism- reducing a complex problem into a simple problem. All motion  one kind of motion Felt free fall was the key to understanding all motion.

Galileo and Free Fall  Developed mathematical formulas For a free falling object v α t For free falling objects d α t 2 Derived equation for free fall Δd =v i t + ½at 2

Conclusions from Incline Plane Experiment  Distance divided by time squared is constant  Assumptions about distance, velocity, and time were correct  All objects fall at the same rate of acceleration

Acceleration  Definition: Rate of time at which velocity changes  Equation: a avg =v/t  Units: m/s 2  vector: has direction

Sir Isaac Newton ( ) “Truth is ever to be found in the simplicity, and not in the multiplicity and confusion of things.”

Fact about Newton  Father of dynamics (why)  Published ‘Three laws of motion’ and universal law of gravitation in Inertia F=ma Action/reaction

Displacement ( Δ d) of object in equal and consecutive units of time ( Δt ).

Position (d) of object after equal and consecutive units of time (t)