What Aristotelian idea did Galileo demolish with his experiments with inclined planes?
The correct answer and explanation is:
Correct Answer:
Galileo demolished the Aristotelian idea that heavier objects fall faster than lighter ones.
Explanation:
In ancient Greek philosophy, Aristotle proposed that the speed at which an object falls is directly proportional to its weight. This meant that heavier objects were believed to fall faster than lighter ones. This idea remained dominant in scientific thought for nearly two thousand years.
Galileo Galilei, the Italian physicist and astronomer of the 16th and 17th centuries, challenged this long-held belief. He devised a series of experiments using inclined planes to study motion in a more controlled and measurable way. Because objects fall too quickly under gravity alone, Galileo slowed down the motion by allowing balls to roll down sloped surfaces. This gave him the ability to accurately observe and measure the behavior of moving bodies.
Through his experiments, Galileo observed that objects of different weights, when released from the same height on the same incline, reached the bottom at the same time. This showed that weight did not affect the speed of descent, as long as air resistance was negligible. He concluded that in the absence of external factors like air resistance, all objects fall at the same rate regardless of their mass. This discovery became a fundamental principle in physics and was later formalized as the equivalence principle.
Galileo’s use of systematic observation, experimentation, and mathematics marked a significant shift in scientific method. His work laid the groundwork for Newton’s laws of motion and helped initiate the modern scientific revolution. By refuting the Aristotelian idea with empirical evidence, Galileo not only corrected a major misconception but also demonstrated the power of experimentation in uncovering the laws of nature. His findings remain central to physics and continue to influence scientific thinking today.