Isaac Newton’s early documents on circular motion: can the dynamic reasoning in the “Principia” be found in them?
Some historians claim that Isaac Newton had already formulated the categories in the Principia twenty years earlier. This is based on two extant documents (1664–1665 and 1669). Derek Whiteside claims that second order differentials are essential categories in the book, and that Newton had not yet ma...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | Portuguese |
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Sociedade Brasileira de Física
2023-11-01
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| Series: | Revista Brasileira de Ensino de Física |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://www.scielo.br/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S1806-11172023000100808&tlng=en |
| _version_ | 1797542678612672512 |
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| author | Penha Maria Cardozo Dias |
| author_facet | Penha Maria Cardozo Dias |
| author_sort | Penha Maria Cardozo Dias |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Some historians claim that Isaac Newton had already formulated the categories in the Principia twenty years earlier. This is based on two extant documents (1664–1665 and 1669). Derek Whiteside claims that second order differentials are essential categories in the book, and that Newton had not yet mastered them in the 1660s. Isaac Bernard Cohen states a desideratum: “I am certain it was Hooke’s method of analyzing curved motion that set Newton on the right track”. I show that differentials in the early documents are introduced by geometric arguments, lacking dynamic meaning; however in hindsight can a dynamic meaning be recognized in them. The drawing of an orbit in a letter from Newton to Hooke on December 13, 1679 indicates the breakthrough toward the Principia: I argue that the orbit was drawn by Hooke’s method, which proves Cohen’s desideratum. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-10T13:33:58Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-787987df4bfa47b88f008940e85f5019 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1806-9126 |
| language | Portuguese |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-10T13:33:58Z |
| publishDate | 2023-11-01 |
| publisher | Sociedade Brasileira de Física |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Revista Brasileira de Ensino de Física |
| spelling | doaj.art-787987df4bfa47b88f008940e85f50192023-11-21T07:40:51ZporSociedade Brasileira de FísicaRevista Brasileira de Ensino de Física1806-91262023-11-014510.1590/1806-9126-rbef-2023-0263Isaac Newton’s early documents on circular motion: can the dynamic reasoning in the “Principia” be found in them?Penha Maria Cardozo Diashttps://orcid.org/0000-0002-0845-6825Some historians claim that Isaac Newton had already formulated the categories in the Principia twenty years earlier. This is based on two extant documents (1664–1665 and 1669). Derek Whiteside claims that second order differentials are essential categories in the book, and that Newton had not yet mastered them in the 1660s. Isaac Bernard Cohen states a desideratum: “I am certain it was Hooke’s method of analyzing curved motion that set Newton on the right track”. I show that differentials in the early documents are introduced by geometric arguments, lacking dynamic meaning; however in hindsight can a dynamic meaning be recognized in them. The drawing of an orbit in a letter from Newton to Hooke on December 13, 1679 indicates the breakthrough toward the Principia: I argue that the orbit was drawn by Hooke’s method, which proves Cohen’s desideratum.http://www.scielo.br/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S1806-11172023000100808&tlng=enMechanic orbitsHooke’s method to draw orbitsNewton’s treatment of motion under central forces |
| spellingShingle | Penha Maria Cardozo Dias Isaac Newton’s early documents on circular motion: can the dynamic reasoning in the “Principia” be found in them? Revista Brasileira de Ensino de Física Mechanic orbits Hooke’s method to draw orbits Newton’s treatment of motion under central forces |
| title | Isaac Newton’s early documents on circular motion: can the dynamic reasoning in the “Principia” be found in them? |
| title_full | Isaac Newton’s early documents on circular motion: can the dynamic reasoning in the “Principia” be found in them? |
| title_fullStr | Isaac Newton’s early documents on circular motion: can the dynamic reasoning in the “Principia” be found in them? |
| title_full_unstemmed | Isaac Newton’s early documents on circular motion: can the dynamic reasoning in the “Principia” be found in them? |
| title_short | Isaac Newton’s early documents on circular motion: can the dynamic reasoning in the “Principia” be found in them? |
| title_sort | isaac newton s early documents on circular motion can the dynamic reasoning in the principia be found in them |
| topic | Mechanic orbits Hooke’s method to draw orbits Newton’s treatment of motion under central forces |
| url | http://www.scielo.br/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S1806-11172023000100808&tlng=en |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT penhamariacardozodias isaacnewtonsearlydocumentsoncircularmotioncanthedynamicreasoningintheprincipiabefoundinthem |