Bringing Classical Physics Into The Modern World With Galileo’s Leaning Tower Of Pisa Experiment

By Larry M. Silverberg , North Carolina State University
Dec 8, 2023 8:30 PMDec 8, 2023 6:30 PM
leaning-towner-of-pisa
(Credit:Hulton Archive/Stringer via Getty Images)

Newsletter

Sign up for our email newsletter for the latest science news
 

If you drop a light object and a heavy object from a tower, which one reaches the ground first? As you may recall from high school physics, this is a trick question. Neglecting air resistance, they both fall the same way and reach the ground at the same time – gravity means that their speeds increase at 9.8 meters per second squared, no matter what their mass.

That’s the premise behind Galileo Galilei’s Leaning Tower of Pisa experiment, a classic thought experiment in the field of dynamics.

(Credit: Larry M. Silverberg) In the Leaning Tower of Pisa experiment, two spheres with different masses are dropped from a tower.

Dynamics is the physics specialization that studies motion and force. A “dynamicist,” one who studies dynamics, can do everything from improve a basketball player’s free throw to help design spacecraft for interstellar travel.

0 free articles left
Want More? Get unlimited access for as low as $1.99/month

Already a subscriber?

Register or Log In

0 free articlesSubscribe
Discover Magazine Logo
Want more?

Keep reading for as low as $1.99!

Subscribe

Already a subscriber?

Register or Log In

Stay Curious

Sign up for our weekly newsletter and unlock one more article for free.

 

View our Privacy Policy


Want more?
Keep reading for as low as $1.99!


Log In or Register

Already a subscriber?
Find my Subscription

More From Discover
Recommendations From Our Store
Shop Now
Stay Curious
Join
Our List

Sign up for our weekly science updates.

 
Subscribe
To The Magazine

Save up to 40% off the cover price when you subscribe to Discover magazine.

Copyright © 2024 Kalmbach Media Co.