Overview

Medieval European mathematicians inherited from the works of Aristotle (384-322 B.C.) a tradition of kinematics that was more qualitative than quantitative. Without proceeding far in the direction of experiment, the medieval scholars of France and England could still use arguments that suggested new conclusions about how to describe motion. In the tradition of Aristotle, these arguments had to apply to all sorts of change. In the hands of subsequent physicists the arguments proved the basis for laying a foundation of a quantitative physics devoted to the study of motion based on experiment as well as theory.

Background

Kinematics is the study of motion. By the end of the twelfth century the works of Aristotle on the subject were being introduced into Western Europe, frequently via translations from Arabic and Hebrew intermediaries. The transmission and preservation of the texts of Aristotle had a value in...