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Re: Brahe -> Kepler -> Newton 'factoids'



Note further that in both cases, only the idealized cases are explicitly
analyzed: The ideal gas model considers only interactions between the
gas particles and the container, ignoring inter-particle forces. Kepler's
laws apply to the similarly idealized situation which considers only
planet-sun interactions and ignores planet-planet interactions.

It is perhaps fortuitous that discrepancies from these idealizations were
not observed/considered for "the first cut". Too much precision may be a
hindrance in the early stages of empirical/conceptual investigations of
a new phenomena.

In a different investigation, Galileo made a leap by eliminating
considerations of friction "for the first cut".

Thus are models "simple enough to be solvable and realistic enough to be
useful" created.

-Bob

Bob Sciamanda
Physics, Edinboro Univ of PA (ret)
trebor@velocity.net
http://www.velocity.net/~trebor

-----Original Message-----
From: Bob Sciamanda <trebor@velocity.net>
To: phys-l@atlantis.uwf.edu <phys-l@atlantis.uwf.edu>
Date: Saturday, June 13, 1998 10:33 PM
Subject: Re: Brahe -> Kepler -> Newton 'factoids'


The Brahe/Kepler => Newton connection is isomorphic (as regards the
gravitating solar system) to the Boyle/Charles/Gay-Lusaac => Joule
connection (as regards the ideal gas):

The experimental group:
1.) decided what to measure,
2.) performed the measurements, and
3.) reduced them to generalized empirical relations (empirical models)
among the measureables.

The theoreticians then
1) conceived a conceptual model of the underlying reality,
2) included already extant conceptual models (the Newtonian force
concept/atomism), and
3) showed the empirical relations to be the predicted behavior of this
conceptual model.

-Bob

Bob Sciamanda
Physics, Edinboro Univ of PA (ret)
trebor@velocity.net
http://www.velocity.net/~trebor