Galilean invariance or Galilean relativity states that the laws of motion are the same in all inertial frames. Galileo Galilei first described this principle in 1632 in his Dialogue Concerning the Two Chief World Systems using the example of a ship travelling at constant velocity, without rocking, on a smooth sea; any observer doing experiments below the deck would not be able to tell whether the ship was moving or stationary. The fact that the Earth orbits around the sun at approximately 30 km·s-1 offers a somewhat more dramatic example, though it is technically not an inertial reference frame.
Read more about Galilean Invariance: Formulation, Work, Kinetic Energy, Momentum
Famous quotes containing the word galilean:
“The Galilean is not a favourite of mine. So far from owing him any thanks for his favour, I cannot avoid confessing that I owe a secret grudge to his carpentership.”
—Percy Bysshe Shelley (1792–1822)