Any Aristotle Fans out There?

[fnord_too]

Air friction is only important in that objects with different aerodynamic properties will accelerate at different rates. It really does not have a hugely observable impact in many cases, but could have some impact. (For instance dropping a feather as opposed to a metal sphere of the same mass).

Cerainly Aristotle had a huge impact on western development. The impact had both positive and negative influences. His theories were considered correct even in light of contrary evidence, and to say that they weren't was, IIRC, considered blasphemous and grounds for some pretty bad retribution. This of course isn't his fault other than being fallable, as all humans are.

Michelson Morely disproved the theory of ether, pure and simple. They made predictions based on the theory, designed an experiment to test the predictions, and did not observe that which was predicted. Their experiment was so simple and repeatable (and so oft repeated, we did it in the fisrt year physics for non physics majors lab), that the theory is almost certainly incorrect. (The probability that it is incorrect is probably on the order that the proof that the square root of two is irrational is incorrect.)