How Galileo dropped the ball and Fermat picked it up

Roberts, Bryan W. ORCID: 0000-0003-0548-1280 (2011) How Galileo dropped the ball and Fermat picked it up. Synthese, 180 (3). pp. 337-356. ISSN 0039-7857

Full text not available from this repository.

Author

Identification Number: 10.1007/s11229-009-9705-7

Abstract

This paper introduces a little-known episode in the history of physics, in which a mathematical proof by Pierre Fermat vindicated Galileo’s characterization of freefall. The first part of the paper reviews the historical context leading up to Fermat’s proof. The second part illustrates how a physical and a mathematical insight enabled Fermat’s result, and that a simple modification would satisfy any of Fermat’s critics. The result is an illustration of how a purely theoretical argument can settle an apparently empirical debate.

Item Type:	Article
Official URL:	http://link.springer.com/journal/11229
Additional Information:	© 2011 Springer
Divisions:	Philosophy, Logic and Scientific Method
Subjects:	B Philosophy. Psychology. Religion > BC Logic
Date Deposited:	05 Nov 2013 15:36
Last Modified:	01 Feb 2025 02:49
URI:	http://eprints.lse.ac.uk/id/eprint/54085

Actions (login required)

View Item