By: Sabrina Rosta /wp-content/uploads/2014/09/you-must-unlearn- what-you-have-learned-quote-1.jpg

A common misconception in society is the idea that an object in motion will eventually come to rest. The idea is stemmed from Aristotle's “law of motion” which states that an object’s natural motion is at rest and if an object is moving it will want to return to its natural state which will cause the object to stop.

We discussed this Aristotelian view in class along with the different types of motion an object can experience according to the ancient Greeks. “To the ancient Greeks motion was broken into two parts: Natural motion Aristotelian Universe (as well as Aristotelian society) was stratified- everything had a place associated with it i.Aether (Something very light - everything above our sky was made of this) ii.Fire iii.Air iv.Water v.Earth Natural motion was due to the action of a object trying to return to its rightful position in the universe. “ (Week 2: Intro to Motion Lecture)

We later learn that Aristotle was wrong about an object’s natural state of motion when Newton published his Laws of Motion which states that: “An object at rest stays at rest and an object in motion stays in motion with the same speed and in the same direction unless acted upon by an unbalanced force.”(The Physics Classroom)

We discussed Newton’s Laws of Motion in class which he discovered through Galileo’s ramp experiment that introduced inertia, the idea that an object will not resist change in motion. From this idea Newton developed his First Law of Motion: “ Newton's 1st Law - An object at rest, or in uniform straight line motion, will remain at rest, or in uniform straight line motion, unless acted upon by a net external force. Another way to state this law might be: If there are no net external forces acting on a body, then it will continue in it's state of constant velocity (which may be zero).” (Week 4: Newton’s Law Lecture)

In the picture below, it can clearly be seen how each idea of motion is portrayed and that Newton’s Law is the correct definition because when a bullet is shot from a gun it does not instantly stop when the force making it move stops, instead, the bullet continues until an outside force is acted upon it to make it stop.

Some people may question the concept that an object in motion will remain in motion. If you were to roll a ball on the floor it would eventually slow down and stop. The reason for this is friction, which is the resisting force between two objects. The ball experiences this friction with the floor which acts as the outside force and makes it stop rolling.

It can clearly be seen that science is always changing and evolving and although it can be easy to accept certain concepts because they are definite, others are not as clear. Many people believed Aristotle's laws of motion because there was nothing else to go by, however, after further experimentation it is concluded in Newton’s First Law of Motion that an object in motion, or an object at rest, will remain that way until acted upon from an outside force.

 "Aristotle's Laws of Motion." Aristotle's Laws of Motion. N.p., n.d. Web. 16 Apr  "Newton's First Law." Newton's First Law. N.p., n.d. Web. 16 Apr