Because others before Galileo had also made discoveries by observing the nature of the universe, and because repeated observations verified those of Galileo, his work could not be suppressed or denied. He spent the final years of his life under a form of house arrest. For this reason, and because of the manner in which he dealt with those in authority, Galileo was tried by the Inquisition and punished. He discovered moons orbiting Jupiter and made other observations that were inconsistent with certain ancient ideas and religious dogma. Galileo’s use of the telescope was his most notable achievement in demonstrating the importance of observation. Galileo was instrumental in establishing observation as the absolute determinant of truth, rather than “logical” argument. (credit: Service commun de la documentation de l'Université de Strasbourg) It proposed scientific laws that are still used today to describe the motion of objects. Among the many great thinkers who contributed to this change were Newton and Galileo.įigure 4.2 Isaac Newton’s monumental work, Philosophiae Naturalis Principia Mathematica, was published in 1687. For many centuries natural philosophers had debated the nature of the universe based largely on certain rules of logic with great weight given to the thoughts of earlier classical philosophers such as Aristotle (384–322 BC). This transition was characterized by a revolutionary change in the way people thought about the physical universe. The development of Newton’s laws marks the transition from the Renaissance into the modern era. Isaac Newton’s (1642–1727) laws of motion were just one part of the monumental work that has made him legendary. They are also universal laws in that they apply to similar situations on Earth as well as in space. These laws provide an example of the breadth and simplicity of principles under which nature functions.

Newton’s laws of motion are the foundation of dynamics.

Dynamics considers the forces that affect the motion of moving objects and systems. The study of motion is kinematics, but kinematics only describes the way objects move-their velocity and their acceleration. Motion itself can be beautiful, causing us to marvel at the forces needed to achieve spectacular motion, such as that of a dolphin jumping out of the water, or a pole vaulter, or the flight of a bird, or the orbit of a satellite.

Newtons three laws of motion