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How Galileo dropped the ball and Fermat picked it up

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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.

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  1. Department of History and Philosophy of Science, University of Pittsburgh, 1017 Cathedral of Learning, Pittsburgh, PA, 15260, USA

    Bryan W. Roberts

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  1. Bryan W. Roberts
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Correspondence to Bryan W. Roberts.

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Roberts, B.W. How Galileo dropped the ball and Fermat picked it up. Synthese 180, 337–356 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11229-009-9705-7

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11229-009-9705-7

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