On the method in Galileo Galilei’ mechanics (original) (raw)
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Annals of Science, 66, 2, 2009
ABSTRACT The reception process of Aristotle's Mechanical Questions during the early modern period began with the publication of the corpus aristotelicum between 1495 and 1498. Between 1581 and 1627, two of the thirty-five arguments discussed in the text, namely Question XIV concerning the resistance to fracture and Question XVI concerning the deformation of objects such as timbers, became central to the work of the commentators. The commentaries of Bernardino Baldi (1581–1582), Giovanni de Benedetti (1585), Giuseppe Biancani (1615) and Giovanni di Guevara (1627) gradually approached the doctrine of proportions of the Renaissance architects, some aspects of which deal with the strength of materials according to the Vitruvian conception of scalar building. These aspects of the doctrine of proportions were integrated into the Aristotelian arguments so that a theory of linear proportionality concerned with the strength of materials could be formulated. This very first theory of strength of materials is the theory to which Galileo critically referred in his Discorsi where he published his own theory of strength of materials. Economic and military constraints are determined as the fundamental reasons for the commentators’ commitment to developing a theory of strength of materials that later linked Galileo`s work to the practical knowledge of the architects and machine-builders of his time.
Archive for History of Exact Sciences, 2022
The manuscript UCLA 170/624 (ff. 75-76) contains Galileo's proof of the center of gravity of the frustum of a cone, which was ultimately published as Theoremata circa centrum gravitatis solidorum in Discorsi e dimostrazioni matematiche intorno a due nuove scienze (Leiden 1638). The UCLA copy opens the possibility of giving a fuller account of Theoremata dating and development, and it can shed light on the origins of this research by the young Galileo. A comparison of the UCLA manuscript with the other extant copies is carried out to propose a new dating for the composition of the Theoremata. This dating will then be reconsidered in light of the mathematical content. The paper ends with a complete description of the content of the UCLA manuscript and the edition of Galileo's text there contained.
Physics in Perspective, 2017
Galileo’s early inquiries on motion and free fall in Pisa (1588-1592) can be regarded as a case study of multiple knowledge-transfer at the very basic roots of modern mechanics. The until 1890 unpublished treatise De motu is an original but unsuccessful attempt to go beyond Aristotelian physics by extending Archimedean hydrostatics to the dynamics of natural motion and reappraising the late-medieval impetus theory to account for violent motion and acceleration. I will discuss in particular why Galileo was forced to abandon his project before moving to Padua and how the manuscripts De motu provided him with a “research agenda” for further theoretical and experimental investigation.
Early Science and Medicine, 2000
The group of writings entitled De motu (or De motu antiquiora) constitutes Galileo's earliest writings on dynamics. These manuscripts are usually dated to the years 1589 to 1592, when Galileo taught mathematics at the University of Pisa. Among their characteristics, the application of dynamic principles of Archimedean hydrostatics to the problem of motion stands out, as does their anti-Aristotelian tone. This paper tries to embed these writings within the cultural context in which they were created by documenting their link (which is most evident in various polemically charged references) to the debate over the motion of the elements between Girolamo Borro and Francesco Buonamici, the two most celebrated Pisan Aristotelians of the late sixteenth century.
Chapter 15: Galileo's Falling Bodies
Doing Philosophy via Thought Experiments, 2022
This chapter focuses on Galileo's famous thought experiment concerning the nature of falling bodies and how it successfully overturned Aristotle's theory of proportionality, which stated that the speed of falling bodies is weight-dependent--heavier objects fall faster than lighter objects. Galileo's thought experiment is described in some detail, explaining precisely how it exposed a serious contradiction in Aristotle's theory and resulted in the discovery of a scientific law, which demonstrated that all falling bodies are governed by 'universal acceleration'' and travel at the same speed irrespective of size, shape or weight. There is a brief discussion of 'a priori' and 'a posteriori' knowledge and the remarkable fact that Galileo discovered an important feature of the natural world by 'a priori' (non-empirical) means.
Galileo between history and myth: new observations on the life and works of Galileo Galilei
Accents and Paradoxes of Modern Philology, 2017
The present paper is the result of a joint work between Charles University of Praha, the Catholic University of Ružomberok and the University of Nitra to make known a very famous but unknown personality, Galileo Galilei. The main task of this group of researchers was the Slovak translation of Galileo's last work: Dialogue around two new sciences related to mechanics and movement of bodies. The first part of the paper concerns the life of the scientist, with particular regard to the famous process to Galileo Galilei in 1633. The article then examines the Galilean mythos, that image that in the century was created around the Florentine scientist for several reasons and which does not correspond to reality. For example, the famous statement assigned to Galileo "And yet it moves!", which is not recorded in any document, not even in the papers of his process. Finally, this paper recalls some of the steps taken by the Catholic Church that led to an instance of annulment of the process.