Re: Reconsidering Halton Arp

In article <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>, "Robert J. Kolker" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> writes:
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>[EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote:
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>> In article <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>, "Robert J. Kolker" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> writes:
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>>>[EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote:
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>>>>In article <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>, "Robert J. Kolker" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> writes:
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>>>>>[EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote:
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>>>>>>I think that Thomas answered this already more than adequately.
>>>>>
>>>>>Wrong! Given the medium Aristotle said explicitly that heavier bodies 
>>>>>would move faster in it, in proportion to their weight.
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>>>>
>>>>Thomas explained that the term "heavy" as used by Aristotle refers to 
>>>>what we call nowadays "dense".
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>>>He is wrong.
>>>
>> 
>> The context rather clearly implies that he's right.
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>It is NOT clear. I have quite the opposite impression from two distinct 
>translations of -The Physics-.
>
If somebody writes that gold is heavier than wood then it is quite 
clear that his "heavier" refers to density.  If somebody writes that 
"gold is qudratzver than wood" then it is quite clear that his 
"qudratzver" refers to density.  ***etc***.  What's not clear here.

>But assume he is right. Then take a 100 pound bag of feathers. The 
>Greeks had sacks and fibre bags. Take a ten pound metal object. The ten 
>pound solid metal object is several times more dense then the 100 pound 
>bag of feather. Drop both from a height at the same time. Is the time of 
>the fall through an equal distance for the objects in the inverse ratio 
>of their densities? It is not.

It is not clear at all whether Aristotle meant strict proportionality 
(which is wrong) or the plain "heavier (aka denser) objects fall 
faster" which is quite right."  Again, the context is rather 
supportive of the latter.  You're getting hang up on translations of 
translations of translation, not terribly reliable.  Heck, I can point 
out to you arrors in the translation of the Bible to English (and not 
in some secondary passage but in the ten commandments).  So?

        ... snip verbiage ...

Sorry, by now I've sufficiently lost interest in what you've to say, 
to bother with reading more than few lines.

Mati Meron                      | "When you argue with a fool,
[EMAIL PROTECTED]         |  chances are he is doing just the same"