Galileo and Oresme: Who Is Modern? Who Is Medieval?

• Autores: Olympia Nicodemi
• Localización: Mathematics magazine, ISSN 0025-570X, Vol. 83, Nº. 1, 2010, págs. 24-32
• Idioma: inglés
• DOI: 10.4169/002557010x479965
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• Resumen

  • If a body is constantly accelerated from rest to a final velocity v, then the distance it goes in time t is the same as if it had travelled at constant velocity v/2. This fact, the Mean Velocity Law, was proved by Galileo on his way to proving the Law of Free Fall, a milestone in the evolution of modern physics. But the Mean Velocity Law itself was well known as far back as the Middle Ages. In this article, we compare Galileo�s mathematical approach to that of the medieval philosopher and mathematician, Nicole Oresme, and we also look at the scientific context�just what information the law gave�in each era, with some surprising results.