INCLINED PLANE

	What is the inclined plane?
	What did Galileo use the inclined plane for?
	How did Galileo measure the time required for the ball to fall?

What is the inclined plane?

The inclined plane is comprised from a long, straight, smooth track placed at a certain angle relative to the plane on which it stands. Galileo placed a small round metal ball within the track, which rolled downward. The ball may be positioned at different heights along the track, so that it travels different distances along the plane.

	What did Galileo use the inclined plane for?

Galileo used the inclined plane in order to learn about the principles of motion. Inclined planes helped Galileo prove his claim that bodies fall at a constant acceleration - i.e., that their speed increases at a constant rate. Following the proof of this claim, Galileo came to formulate the law of fall.

	How did Galileo measure the time required for the ball to fall?

Galileo used a water clock to measure time in his experiments. It is possible that Galileo also measured time by counting the oscillations of a pendulum, and there are even some who claim that he measured time using a musical tempo.

The inclined plane helped Galileo discover the law of fall.

The law of fall

Using the inclined plane, one can also demonstrate the law of inertia, as can be seen in the example of the ship.

The law of inertia