>Hilmar,
>
>>>It is consistent, under normal circumstances.
>
>As is Creationism, unless you are regularly digging up fossils or reviewing primate DNA in your daily life.
>
>People can't have it both ways.

I really don't care much about ancient supersticions. I joined this thread because I am interested in the scientific aspects, specifically the part about Newton.

And in the case of Newton's theories, the scientific aspects, as I understnad them, are the following:

Under normal, everyday circumstances, Newton's laws still maintain their validity, but under certain extreme conditions, they have to be replaced by more accurate formulae, from the Theory of Relativity, or from Quantum Physics.

This brings up the question, what parts of Newton's theories are still considered valid, and what parts not.

I understand the three laws of motion are still valid, even at high speeds. I am not completely sure right now, but I believe the formula net force = mass * acceleration is NOT valid for high speeds (i.e., speeds approaching the speed of light); however, Newton originally expressed his second law in terms of momentum (force is proportional to the change in momentum), and I think it is still valid in this case. Momentum is the product mass * velocity.

I have read that the three laws of motion have been found not to be valid at the subatomic level, but again, I am not sure about the details.

In the time of Galilei and Newton, time and space were assumed to be constant, absolute. Today, it is known that they are not. Thus, for instance, formulae for adding speeds have to be adjusted when the speeds involved approach the speed of light. It should be noted that at low speeds, like those of cars, airplanes, or even interplanetary rockets, the differences between the two sets of formulay are so small that usually, the simpler ones (i.e., from classical physics) can be used safely.

As to the law of gravitation, the basic law in this case indicates that the force of gravitation is proportional to the product of the masses, and inversely proportional to the square of the distance. I think this is still valid. However, Newton apparently believed that any change in the force of gravitation would propagate instantly. Today, it is generally believed that "gravitational waves" will propagate at the maximum speed allowed in this Universe, namely, the speed of light.

Greetings,

Hilmar.