This document describes an epic battle of science between Aristotle and Newton, and debates between students on physics concepts. It provides background on Aristotle as the greatest ancient thinker and founder of western philosophy who studied nature. It also gives background on Newton's interests in alchemy and religion and using a bodkin to study optics. The document outlines debates between students on how forces explain constant velocity with a push and constant acceleration with a push in space. It asks how epic battles of science can be settled and mocks using an 8th grade science book to do so. Finally, it instructs students to answer a question on the whiteboard about how forces explain constant velocity-position-mass using evidence from Practice 1.

1. Epic Battles of
Science:
A r i s t o t l e v s N e w t o n
S t u d e n t X v s S t u d e n t Y
S t u d e n t Z v s S t u d e n t W
Thursday, September 9, 2010

2. Who said what?
A hurled body acquires a motive power or
an inclination for forced movement from the
agent producing the initial motion and that
this power or condition and not the ambient
medium secures the continuation of such
motion.
Every body preservers in its state of
rest, or of uniform motion in a right
line, unless it is compelled to change
that state by forces impressed thereon.
Thursday, September 9, 2010

3. Aristotle
Greatest thinker of ancient world.
Founder of western philosophy.
First scientist to study optics.
First to conceive of city as organism
Father of formal logic (scientists study
nature. Aristotle studies nature. Therefore,
Aristotle is a scientist).
Thursday, September 9, 2010

4. Newton
Deeply interested in alchemy
(transforming lead into gold).
Almost became a farmer.
Wrote more about religion and bible
than he did about physics and
astronomy.
Used a bodkin (very long hatpin) to
poke his eyeball to study optics.
Thursday, September 9, 2010

5. Round 2, Friday
When you give it a force, other forces are biting down on it
and cutting it down. The push kept the dry ice puck going at
constant velocity, since friction was gone.
Constant Push = Constant Velocity
If you’re in space, and there are no other forces acting
on the object, and you keep pushing, it’s going to
accelerate.
Thursday, September 9, 2010

6. Round 3, Friday
We concluded that when the net force acting on an
object is constant, the velocity is constant.
If you have one of these cool buggy cars, the force of
friction is constant, and it comes to a stop.
Thursday, September 9, 2010

7. How do you settle
an
EPIC BATTLE OF
SCIENCE?
Thursday, September 9, 2010

8. you want to settle this
epic battle with your
8th grade science book?
GET REAL.
Thursday, September 9, 2010

9. Whiteboard
H o w d o f o r c e s e x p l a i n
C V P M ?
A n s w e r t h i s o n
w h i t e b o a r d , u s e e v i d e n c e
f r o m P R a c t i c e 1
Thursday, September 9, 2010