PHYA10H3 Lecture Notes - Lecture 1: Potential Energy, Kinetic Energy, Double Pendulum
1 May 2017
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Document Summary
Isaac newton discovered that his law of gravitation could be applied to a falling apple and to the moon in orbit around the earth. In the absence of air resistance, an apple released above the surface of the earth accelerates to the ground. The moon also accelerates towards the earth"s surface. However, since the moon has a large sideways motion, it avoids hitting the earth. Elliptical orbit of the moon around the earth (not to scale). The arrow indicates the direction the moon would travel if the earth was not present. Due to the gravitational attraction of the earth, the moon falls below the path of the arrow and follows the curved orbit. The successful application of newton"s laws in determining the motion of the planets in the. Solar system led pierre simon de laplace (1749-1827) to conclude that the universe behaves in a deterministic manner.
