Newtonian or classical physics is reductionist, holding that all physical reality can be
reduced to a few particles and the laws and forces acting among them. Newtonian
physics is free of spiritual or psychological forces = emphasis on objectivity.
Newton expanded on the work of Galileo to better define the relationship between
energy and motion. In particular, he developed the following concepts:
l the change in velocity of an object is called acceleration, and is caused by a force
l The resistance an object has to changes in velocity is called inertia and is proportional
to its mass
l Momentum is a quantity of motion (kinetic) energy and is equal to mass times
velocity
Key to the clockwork universe concept are the conservation laws in Newtonian physics.
Specifically, the idea that the total momentum of an interaction is conserved (i.e. it is the
same before and after).
Conservation laws allow detailed predictions from initial conditions, a highly
deterministic science.
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