According to Galileo's findings, what happens to a body in the absence of a retarding force?

Galileo's findings laid the foundation for our understanding of motion, particularly the concept of inertia, which is the tendency of an object to maintain its state of motion unless acted upon by an external force. In the absence of any retarding force, such as friction or air resistance, a body will not change its velocity. Instead, it will continue to move at a constant speed in a straight line. This principle is encapsulated in the first law of motion, often referred to as Newton's first law, which states that an object in motion remains in motion with the same speed and in the same direction unless acted upon by a net external force.

Thus, in a scenario where there are no forces acting to slow the body down or change its direction, it persists in a state of uniform motion indefinitely. This principle emphasizes the role of inertia, illustrating that motion does not require a continuous application of force, countering the common misconception that a force is necessary to keep an object moving.