more on this theme     |     more from this thinker

Single Idea 20964

[filed under theme 27. Natural Reality / A. Classical Physics / 1. Mechanics / b. Laws of motion ]

Full Idea

Descartes incorporated the conservation of what he called 'quantity of motion', by which he meant mass times speed.

Gist of Idea

Descartes said there was conservation of 'quantity of motion'

Source

report of René Descartes (The World [1631]) by David Papineau - Thinking about Consciousness App 2

Book Ref

Papineau,David: 'Thinking about Consciousness' [OUP 2004], p.234

A Reaction

Mass times velocity is now called 'momentum'. Is this the first ever conservation law? There are now lots of them.

The 3 ideas from 'The World'

22593 Our sensation of light may not be the same as what produces the sensation [Descartes]
20964 Descartes said there was conservation of 'quantity of motion' [Descartes, by Papineau]
16569 The Hot, Cold, Wet and Dry of the philosophers need themselves to be explained [Descartes]