In Praise of Slowness

Abstract

While speed is an ubiquitous concept in physics, its inverse - known as slowness - sometimes proves more relevant. We discuss some case studies within classical physics where such a notion is fruitful, before exploring how it can be realized within the relativistic and thermodynamical frameworks. This leads us to a generalized slowness, not specifically defined in relation with speed but as characterizing the evolution of any physical parameter. We advocate the pedagogical relevance of slowness, by analogy with other couples of quantities, inverse of each other, commonly used in physics.