Newton's Principia for the Common ReaderNewton's Philosophiae Naturalis Principia Mathematica provides a coherent and deductive presentation of his discovery of the universal law of gravity. The Principia is, in fact, a model for all mathematical physics. Representing a decade's work from one of the world's most distinguished physicists, this major publication is, as far as is known, the first comprehensive analysis of Newton's Principia without recourse to secondary sources. Chandrasekhar analyses some 150 propositions which form a direct chain leading to Newton's formulation of his universal law of gravitation. In each case, Newton's proofs are arranged in a linear sequence of equations and arguments, avoiding the need to unravel the necessarily convoluted style of Newton's connected prose. In almost every case, a modern version of the proofs is given to bring into sharp focus the beauty, clarity, and breathtaking economy of Newton's methods. Chandrasehkar's work is an attempt by a distinguished practising scientist to read and comprehend the enormous intellectual achievement of the Principia. This book will stimulate great interest and debate among the scientific community, illuminating the brilliance of Newton's work under the steady gaze of Chandrasekhar's rare perception. |
Contents
The year 1679 | 7 |
Definitions and Axioms | 17 |
The Scholium to the Laws of Motion | 30 |
Copyright | |
30 other sections not shown
Other editions - View all
Common terms and phrases
ABFD angle angular apse apsides axis body Book centre of gravity centripetal attraction centripetal force Chapter circle circular orbit comet common centre conclude conic sections conjugate hyperbola constant of areas Corollary cos² curve cycloid derived direction distance Earth eccentric anomaly eccentricity ellipse elliptic orbit equal equation 11 figure focus follows given height Hence hyperbola integral intersections inverse-square law inversely Kepler's equation latus rectum law of attraction law of centripetal Lemma M₁ M₂ mass Moon Newton considers nodes obtain orbit described parabola parallel particle perpendicular Principia problem Prop proportional Proposition XI quadratures r₁ radii radius ratio rectilinear motion relation revolving orbit right line Scholium semilatus rectum semimajor axis sin² solution sphere square syzygies tangent Theorem variation vector velocity vertex