Re: F=m*a, was Thermodynamics

[Jim Green <JMGreen@SISNA.COM>]

At 12:04 30 08 2001 , you wrote:
> We've circled around this tree many time before. I've always had trouble
> with the idea that ma defines a force. Forces cause accelerations but I
> don't think you can turn that around and say an acceleration causes a force.

The complication here is the idea of "cause" -- This just muddies the water
-- It may be true that "force" can "cause" acceleration, but that
proposition must come from some other reasoning different from the
mathematical expression of a "law" eg F=ma.


Jim Green
mailto:JMGreen@sisna.com
http://users.sisna.com/jmgreen