Beeckman, Isaac definition of Beeckman, Isaac in the Free Online Encyclopedia.

Beeckman, Isaac (bāk`mən), 1588–1637, Dutch physicist. An early proponent of mathematical reasoning and experimental verification in natural philosophy, he contributed to the modern conception of inertia inertia (ĭnûr`shə), in physics, the resistance of a body to any alteration in its state of motion , i.e.
..... Click the link for more information. and free fall free fall, in physics, the state of a body moving solely under the influence of gravitational forces (see gravitation ). A body falling freely toward the surface of the earth undergoes an acceleration due to gravity of 32 ft/sec² (9.
..... Click the link for more information. and discovered an important hydrodynamic law concerning the rate of flow of water from a vessel. Although his recorded scientific work is largely confined to his Journael (diary) and notes, he influenced scientific development through his personal acquaintance with such famous contemporaries as René Descartes Descartes, René (rənā` dākärt`), Lat.
..... Click the link for more information. , Pierre Gassendi Gassendi, Pierre (pyĕr gäsäNdē`), 1592–1655, French philosopher and scientist.
..... Click the link for more information. , and Marin Mersenne, and through his rectorship of the Latin school at Dordrecht.