Toward a Science of Mechanics
Galileo did more than just describe motion of projectiles. He used the ideas to build graet general principles:
Principle of inertia: An object moving on level surface (horizontally) will continue to move in the same direction at constant speed (constant velocity) unless it is disturbed.
- Explains motion – a revolution from Aristotle
- (This becomes even more general in the hands of Newton.)
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Principle of Superposition: If a body is subjected to two separate influences, each producing a characteristic type of motion, it responds to each without modifying its response to the other.