Pre-Quantum Mechanics

• When forces move us, and when they don’t
• Gravity, the first force
• The tragic loss of free will
• Classical physics and the future

We will explore the concept of force and the basic laws of motion. The laws governing every branch of physics, including classical and quantum physics, ultimately boil down to forces that act on various objects from the very, very big to the very, very small.

We will also explore gravity, the attractive force between all massive objects. This was the first of the fundamental forces to be carefully studied by physicists, and it was the engine behind the discovery that all motions of celestial bodies—moons, planets, stars, and more—could be described using one central and unifying theory.

What’s more, we’ll see that not only could gravity and the laws of motion describe celestial movements, they could even be applied to predict the future position of all objects in the sky. For centuries, these concepts have been used to predict the tides, meteor showers, and even the weather. And, if ever we spy a rogue asteroid on a collision course with Earth, these same concepts could be applied to save us from peril. Not bad for a set of ideas born over two centuries ago!