Back to Search
Start Over
Newton's graphical method as a canonical transformation
- Publication Year :
- 2018
-
Abstract
- This work shows that, Newton's Proposition 1 in the {\it Principia}, is an {\it exact} graphical representation of a canonical transformation, a first-order symplectic integrator generated at a finite time-step by the Hamiltonian. A fundamental characteristic of this canonical transformation is to update the position and velocity vectors {\it sequentially}, thereby automatically conserving the phase-volume and the areal velocity due to a central force. As a consequence, the continuous force is naturally replaced by a series of impulses. The convergence of Newton's Proposition 1 in the limit of $\Delta t\rightarrow 0$ can be proved easily and the resulting error term for the linear and the inverse square force can explain why Hooke was able to the obtain an elliptical orbit for the former but not the latter.<br />Comment: 13 pages with two figures; revised to correct typos in equations
- Subjects :
- Physics - History and Philosophy of Physics
Subjects
Details
- Database :
- arXiv
- Publication Type :
- Report
- Accession number :
- edsarx.1810.05264
- Document Type :
- Working Paper