Abstract
THERE is a point in connection with Newton's laws of motion which tha text-books on dynamics, which found the science upon those laws, seem to me to leave very inconveniently and unnecessarily mysterious. The point to which I allude is the meaning of the words “rest or uniform motion in a straight line” in the first law. The difficult words are “uniform” and “straight,” which of course are each of them meaningless until it is explained what the motion is with reference to; but this explanation is not given explicitly in any of the books on dynamics which I am acquainted with; and a comparison of their various statements leaves me in some doubt as to what is intended to be implied. May 1 therefore appeal to those of your readers who accept Newton's laws to say whether the following is correct?
Article PDF
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
W. Newton's Laws of Motion. Nature 36, 366 (1887). https://doi.org/10.1038/036366a0
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/036366a0
Comments
By submitting a comment you agree to abide by our Terms and Community Guidelines. If you find something abusive or that does not comply with our terms or guidelines please flag it as inappropriate.