What we think we know about newton’s principia

Authors

  • Raquel Anna Sapunaru Universidade Federal dos Vales do Jequitinhonha e Mucuri - UFVJM
  • Gabriela Fernandes Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.26568/2359-2087.2018.2859

Keywords:

Physics Teaching. Isaac Newton. Definitions. Laws. Natural Philosophy.

Abstract

In this article we examine some of the most controversial points in
 Newton's Principia regarding the contemporary interpretation:
 the assumed circularity of Definition I, the difference between
vis insita
and vis inertia, Law I and Law II. The main goal of this
work is to offer a wider view of Newton’s writings and provide a
historic philosophical approach to the physics teachers which will
certainly be useful in physics teaching. We also discuss the modern
 terminology compared to the one used by Newton himself. Our
main concern is to aid the deconstruction of preconceived ideas
regarding the Principia which are fairly common among physics
teachers.

Author Biographies

  • Raquel Anna Sapunaru, Universidade Federal dos Vales do Jequitinhonha e Mucuri - UFVJM
    Professora de Filosofia de Ciência do Instituto de Ciência e Tecnologia da UFVJM
  • Gabriela Fernandes, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro
    Professora de Física

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Published

27/12/2018

Issue

Section

Artigos Científicos

How to Cite

What we think we know about newton’s principia. EDUCA - Multidisciplinary Journal in Education, [S. l.], v. 5, n. 12, p. 171–192, 2018. DOI: 10.26568/2359-2087.2018.2859. Disponível em: https://periodicos.unir.br/index.php/EDUCA/article/view/2859. Acesso em: 25 feb. 2026.

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