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In the classical central-force problem of classical mechanics, some potential energy functions () produce motions or orbits that can be expressed in terms of well-known functions, such as the trigonometric functions and elliptic functions. This article describes these functions and the corresponding solutions for the orbits.
The problem is also important because some more complicated problems in classical physics (such as the two-body problem with forces along the line connecting the two bodies) can be reduced to a central-force problem. Finally, the solution to the central-force problem often makes a good initial approximation of the true motion, as in calculating ...
Download as PDF; Printable version; ... There are several types of central-force problems, ... Classical physics
The three-body problem is a special case of the n-body problem, which describes how n objects move under one of the physical forces, such as gravity. These problems have a global analytical solution in the form of a convergent power series, as was proven by Karl F. Sundman for n = 3 and by Qiudong Wang for n > 3 (see n-body problem for details
A diagram of Central forces. In classical mechanics, a central force on an object is a force that is directed towards or away from a point called center of force. [a] [1]: 93 = = | | ^ where is the force, F is a vector valued force function, F is a scalar valued force function, r is the position vector, ||r|| is its length, and ^ = / ‖ ‖ is the corresponding unit vector.
The problem of two fixed centers conserves energy; in other words, the total energy is a constant of motion.The potential energy is given by =where represents the particle's position, and and are the distances between the particle and the centers of force; and are constants that measure the strength of the first and second forces, respectively.
There are two main descriptions of motion: dynamics and kinematics.Dynamics is general, since the momenta, forces and energy of the particles are taken into account. In this instance, sometimes the term dynamics refers to the differential equations that the system satisfies (e.g., Newton's second law or Euler–Lagrange equations), and sometimes to the solutions to those equations.
A fictitious force is a force that appears to act on a mass whose motion is described using a non-inertial frame of reference, such as a linearly accelerating or rotating reference frame. [1] Fictitious forces are invoked to maintain the validity and thus use of Newton's second law of motion, in frames of reference which are not inertial. [2]