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Questions for Discussion: Galileo: His Experiments
Why do you think Galileo's ideas and experiments seemed surprising or difficult to believe at the time? What is meant by a "thought experiment?" How did Galileo use "thought experiments" to understand gravity? Describe the motion of a pendulum, first using words, then adding sketches, and finally adding mathematics. From this experience, discuss why mathematics was so important to Galileo's discoveries. Has this resource helped you understand how objects move? How? Try these experiments yourself. How do your results compare with Galileo's?
