. ▁ ▁As ▁Western ▁sch ol ars ▁became ▁more ▁aware ▁( and ▁more ▁accepting ) ▁of ▁controvers ial ▁scientific ▁treat ises ▁of ▁the ▁By z antine ▁and ▁Islam ic ▁Emp ires ▁these ▁read ings ▁spark ed ▁new ▁ins ights ▁and ▁spec ulation . ▁The ▁works ▁of ▁the ▁early ▁By z antine ▁scholar ▁John ▁Phil op on us ▁inspired ▁Western ▁sch ol ars ▁such ▁as ▁Jean ▁Bur idan ▁to ▁question ▁the ▁received ▁wisdom ▁of ▁Arist ot le ' s ▁mechan ics . ▁Bur idan ▁developed ▁the ▁theory ▁of ▁imp et us ▁which ▁was ▁a ▁step ▁towards ▁the ▁modern ▁concept ▁of ▁in ert ia . ▁Bur idan ▁anticip ated ▁Isaac ▁Newton ▁when ▁he ▁wrote : ▁ ▁. ▁. ▁. ▁after ▁leaving ▁the ▁arm ▁of ▁the ▁thro wer , ▁the ▁project ile ▁would ▁be ▁moved ▁by ▁an ▁imp et us ▁given ▁to ▁it ▁by ▁the ▁thro wer ▁and ▁would ▁continue ▁to ▁be ▁moved ▁as ▁long ▁as ▁the ▁imp et us ▁remained ▁stronger ▁than ▁the ▁resistance , ▁and ▁would ▁be ▁of ▁infinite ▁duration ▁were ▁it ▁not ▁dimin ished ▁and ▁cor rupted ▁by ▁a ▁contrary ▁force ▁resist ing ▁it ▁or ▁by ▁something ▁incl ining ▁it ▁to ▁a ▁contrary ▁motion . ▁ ▁Thomas ▁Brad ward ine ▁and ▁his ▁partners , ▁the ▁Oxford ▁Calcul ators ▁of ▁M erton ▁College , ▁Oxford , ▁distinguished ▁kin emat ics ▁from ▁dynamics , ▁emphas izing ▁kin emat ics , ▁and ▁investig ating ▁instant aneous ▁velocity . ▁They ▁form ulated ▁the ▁mean ▁speed ▁theorem : ▁a ▁body ▁moving ▁with ▁constant ▁velocity ▁travel s ▁distance ▁and