HPS100H1 Lecture Notes - Lecture 5: Classical Mechanics, Phlogiston Theory, Aristotelian Physics
19 Jan 2016
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Intro: the history of science knows many episodes when a theory that has been accepted for centuries was eventually rejected and replaced by a new theory e. g. geocentric astronomy. If the force is greater than the resistance, the object will move. Otherwise, the object won"t move: example: newtonian physics. The acceleration of a body is proportional to the net force acting on the body and is inversely proportional to the mass of the body. Conclusion: the history of science shows that our knowledge of relations is changeable. In combusting, a burning substance becomes dephlogisticated, while the air absorbs phlogiston and turns into phlogisticated air: example: contemporary chemistry. In combustion, a substance composed primarily of carbon, hydrogen and oxygen combines with oxygen in the air; the products of the reaction are carbon dioxide and water. Conclusion: entity realism is flawed for the list of entities that presumably populate the world has changed through time.
