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It is often instructive to examine how scientific ideas develop over time. If you are interested, explore how Newton formulated the laws of motion by reading excerpts from his original work, the Principia. Both the original text and commentaries are available online.
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How did the laws of motion take shape?
17th century, Galileo Galilei
Thought experiments on motion with no impediments
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Isaac Newton
Used the idea of inertia to frame the first law
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The Principia, 1687
All three laws of motion presented together
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The three laws still describe motion from everyday objects to planets and stars
- Newton presented the three laws of motion in the Principia in 1687.
- He built on Galileo's thought experiments, which showed a body would keep moving if all impediments were removed.
- Newton used the word inertia for the tendency of objects to resist a change in their state of rest or uniform motion.
🚀 Ready to Go Beyond, page 115
- Newton's laws describe motion across an enormous range of scales, from everyday objects to planets and stars.
- They need modification only very close to massive objects, at extremely high speeds near the speed of light, and at very small, atomic scales.
🔮 The Quest Continues…, page 115
- In the real world, friction is always present whenever surfaces are in contact.
- Scientists have been trying to find ways to reduce friction between surfaces.
- They use lubricants, coatings or texturing of surfaces, streamlining the shapes of objects, and magnetic levitation.
