What was the specific flaw in the Aristotelian law of motion?
What was the specific flaw in the Aristotelian law of motion?
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1 Answer
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Aristotle's main flaw was that he did not account for forces already present that keep a body at rest or in motion. In classical antiquity physics, during this philosopher's time, invisible and opposing forces, such as friction and air resistance, were not understood. So, it was natural to resort to observation-based answers that would later get disproved by scientists like Galileo and Newton, who introduced rigorous experimentation and mathematical enquiries.
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Aristotle viewed that a moving body/object would have something external to keep it in motion. Otherwise, that body would stop, as it is the natural state of any object to stay at rest. It was a natural view and a common practical experience for everyone.
What Aristotle didn't take into consideration was that there are already opposing forces in the natural world, such as friction. A force like friction remains as a net external force in the real world.
In reality, as we speak, a moving object keeps moving unless something like friction or air slows it down. It's also just like a still object stays still if nothing pushes or
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