In answer to the challenge, his demonstration was to be made from the
Leaning Tower of Pisa before a large audience of University people.
That is the time, you will remember, when he dropped a ten pound iron
ball and a one pound iron ball simultaneously from the top of the
Tower. Much to the amazement and chagrin of everyone but Galileo,
the two balls hit the ground at the same time. But that did not
convince the crowd. They hissed Galileo, accused him of being a
magician and went on following Aristotle.300 years have passed since Galileo died, but even today we are faced with the same problem: just when should we discard information that has been useful in the past? This problem worries everyone who teaches, as well as every scientist and engineer. The value of information is not a question of how old or new it is. |
