Galileo's Experiments

• By Rick Groleau
• Posted 10.29.02
• NOVA

It's a legendary experiment: Young Galileo, perched atop the Leaning Tower of Pisa, drops cannonballs of different weights to see if all objects fall at the same rate. It's a story that's easy to remember, but whether it actually took place is debatable. Nonetheless, Galileo did perform some ingenious experiments on gravity while at Pisa and also is duly celebrated for his many thought experiments. Here, conduct virtual versions of experiments with falling objects, projectiles, inclined planes, and pendulums.