Galileo may not be as famous as Newton or Einstein. But he is widely acknowledged as the father of modern science. This is because he was the first to subject his theories to experimental observations. Basically he pioneered the scientific method.

For example, instead of arguing philosophically over whether objects of different masses should fall at the same rate, he conducted experiments to observe whether they actually fall at the same rate.

But it was not easy to conduct such experiments. Falling objects accelerate too quickly. And Galileo did not have stopwatches nor slow-motion videos to work with. But he had a brilliant idea. Why not measure the rate at which balls roll down inclines instead? The incline will “dilute” gravity, and make the motion slower and more easily measurable!

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As you watch this video, ask yourself

Q: How can we tell that the golf ball is moving at constant acceleration?

A: The markings show that the distances it travels (between equal time intervals) increases at a constant rate. This means that its velocity increases at a constant rate, implying constant acceleration.

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