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Newtonian Mechanics
The foundation of Newtonian mechanics is the three laws of motion that were postulated by Isaac
Newton (1642–1727) as a result of the combination of experimental evidence and a great deal of
intuition.
2.1 THE FIRST LAW OF MOTION (LAW OF INERTIA)
Newton’s rst law of motion describes the behavior of a body that has no net outside force acting on
it. This law may be stated as follows:
A body remains in a state of rest or in uniform motion in a straight line unless it is compelled to change
that state by an applied force.
This contradicts the view of motion held by Aristotle, the Greek philosopher ...