Material Detail

Galileo used thought experiments to test many assumptions, including the notion that heavy objects fall more quickly than lighter objects when they are dropped. Lacking access to either a vacuum chamber or a planetary body that has no atmosphere, he nevertheless correctly predicted that all falling objects would accelerate at the same rate in the absence of air resistance. In this video segment astronaut David Scott re-creates the famous experiment, which supported Galileo's prediction, on the Apollo 15 mission to the Moon. The segment is forty-seven seconds in length. A background essay and discussion questions are included.

Disciplines:

• Science and Technology  / Astronomy