Chapter 4: The Constants of Change

This chapter discusses change and its relationship to the laws that govern our
world. It talks about Newton’s contributions towards mathematics and how before
him, there were other assumptions about the nature of mathematics, like with
Ptolemy’s theory of planetary motion. This theory focused on a system of circles
revolving about centers that themselves were attached to revolving circles, wheels
within wheels within wheels. This helped discover the “ideal forms” given by
nature, a circle is the perfect example of an ideal form, for point in the
circumference of a circle lies at the same distance from its center. Kepler
challenged this view, though Newton threw it out altogether by his approach
towards motion. Newton used a cannonball as an example and he demonstrated
that although the position of the cannonball changes in quite a complex way, its
velocity changes in a much simpler way, and its acceleration varies in a very
simple manner indeed. An example is that if the initial upward velocity is fifty
meters per second (50 m/sec). Then the height of the cannonball above ground, at
one-second intervals, is: 0,45,80,105,120,125,120,105,80,45,0. These numbers
prove that the ball goes up, balances out near the top, and then goes down again.
The chapter then proceeds to talk about motion and its dynamics, the chapter
teaches us all about the rules of motion, its formulas, and how to formulate in order
to solve the answer towards questions of velocity, speed, acceleration, and etc.
Chapter 4 teaches us all about change and how it is in everything especially
physics, it shows that life is not static and proves how much creativity is in the
world that nothing truly stays the same for everything changes in some way, shape,
or form. Just like the way the Greek philosopher Heraclitus put it, "You can't step
into the same river twice."