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Re: [Phys-l] F causes a

At 11:31 PM -0400 5/10/06, John Denker wrote:

One could also argue that the first law is unnecessary anyway, since
it can be considered a corollary of the second law.

I maintain that anyone who argues that the first law is 'unnecessary' has never tried to evaluate their student's understanding of motion, in particular, how continuing motion can occur withOUT an outside force to maintain it.

Aristotelean thinking doesn't die easily or gracefully.

Newton's First is a direct slap at Aristotelean (Church) philosophy and is just as necessary today as it was back then.

(Unless, of course, you are using only Axiomatic Mathematical Analysis to 'teach' physics , in which case, students 'understanding' is irrelevant ;-))