Galileo's Experiment: Uniformly Accelerated Motion

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In summary, Galileo showed that the distance covered by a body during free fall is directly proportional to the square of time, which implies that the motion is uniformly accelerated. He also demonstrated that the acceleration is constant for all bodies, regardless of their mass, through repeated experiments. This conclusion is consistent with Newton's second law.
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batballbat
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1. how can the experimental result that the distance covered by a body during free fall is directly proportional to the square of time imply that the motion is uniformly accelerated? (of course the result agrees with one of a property of uni. accelerated motion but can we show that in nonuniformly accelerated motion the distance is not proportional to time squared?)

2. galileo showed that for a free fall is uniformly accelerated. but how did he show that the acceleration which is constant for a body is same for all other bodies? (i know the statement is implied from the Newtons second law. but how did galielo conclude it?)
 
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1. This one's easy! d(t) = kt2, and acceleration is defined as the second derivative of d(t), which is a constant.

2. I'm not sure he did. I know he showed you get the same acceleration independent of the mass.
 
  • #3
2) Very simple: He did the experiment many times using many diffrerent objects and always got the same value for the acceleration.
 

What was Galileo's experiment on uniformly accelerated motion?

Galileo's experiment on uniformly accelerated motion involved rolling a ball down an inclined plane and measuring the distance traveled and time elapsed at different angles of inclination. He found that the distance traveled was directly proportional to the square of the time elapsed, showing that objects accelerate uniformly under the influence of gravity.

Why was Galileo's experiment important?

Galileo's experiment was important because it provided evidence for his theory of uniform acceleration and disproved the Aristotelian belief that heavier objects fall faster. It also laid the foundation for the study of classical mechanics and the laws of motion.

How did Galileo's experiment contribute to the scientific method?

Galileo's experiment followed the steps of the scientific method, including making observations, formulating a hypothesis, testing the hypothesis through experimentation, and analyzing the results. This approach helped establish the importance of empirical evidence in scientific inquiry.

What were the implications of Galileo's experiment for the understanding of gravity?

Galileo's experiment demonstrated that all objects, regardless of their weight, accelerate at the same rate due to gravity. This challenged the traditional belief that heavier objects fall faster and paved the way for Newton's theory of universal gravitation.

How is Galileo's experiment still relevant today?

Galileo's experiment continues to be relevant today as it serves as the basis for the study of motion and gravity in physics. It also highlights the importance of experimentation and empirical evidence in the scientific process. Additionally, the principles and laws derived from this experiment are still applied in various fields, such as engineering and space exploration.

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