Instantaneous speed: a teaching proposal inspired by Galileo

Researches in physics education indicate that the limit process is an obstacle in understanding the concept of instantaneous speed by students in introductory courses of physics. Medieval authors, however, defined the concept without apparent use of a process of limit. Galileo Galilei explored the medieval ideas to state laws of motion for falling bodies. His methods inspire an alternative way to teach the concept of instantaneous speed.

Keywords:
Kinematics; instantaneous velocity; double-distance rule