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The Physics Of Galileo ( 1564-1642 )

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‘An object at rest stays at rest, and an object in motion stays in motion, with the same speed and in the same direction unless acted upon by an unbalanced force.’ (Sir Isaac Newton- Law of Inertia)

Before the early 17th century, scientists were convinced that an object (pushed across another surface), only came to a rest once the force/s behind it stopped working. Galileo (1564-1642) - a great Italian physicist, mathematician, astronomer and philosopher- realised this was not the case. He concluded that the loss of such an objects motion was caused not by the dissipation of its original energy, but rather due to the interaction of a counteracting force known as friction. Understanding how friction acts, and the factors that affect it has been a focal point of physics ever since.

Forces and Friction

Measured in Newtons and symbolised by ‘F’, a force, in its simplest terms, is a push or a pull - an interaction between one object and another that is responsible for changes in the motion, direction or shape of the object/s affected. The greater the force, the greater the impact it will have.

Not all forces affect objects in the same way however. Non-contact forces are able to exert a push or a pull upon an object despite a physical separation. Examples included: gravity, magnetism, and electricity. Contact forces on the other hand, can only affect an object through direct contact, such as air resistance, applied force, and frictional force.

As a contact force, friction

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