The Physics of Galileo

Abstract

Although Galileo Galilei (1564–1642) was a contemporary of Johannes Kepler, the two scientists seldom communicated with each other and had little in common, even though they were most responsible for laying the scientific foundation that made possible Isaac Newton’s contributions to the study of mechanics. Galileo was perhaps not as talented a mathematician as Kepler, but his professional interests were more diverse, and he made unparalled use of experiments to illustrate physical phenomena, such as the acceleration of freely falling bodies. Moreover, Galileo was an innovative craftsman who could construct devices such as greatly improved telescopes, which made possible a number of important astronomical discoveries and greatly extended the boundaries of the observable universe.

Here and elsewhere we shall not obtain the best insights into things until we actually see them growing from the beginning.

—Aristotle