Hostname: page-component-cd9895bd7-fscjk Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-12-23T00:38:26.808Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Why is Mechanics Based on Acceleration?

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  01 April 2022

Carl G. Adler
Carl G. Adler*
Affiliation:
East Carolina University
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

The unique role of the second derivative of position with respect to time in classical mechanics is investigated. It is indicated that mechanics might have been developed around other order derivatives. Examples based on and are presented. Kirchhoff s argument for using ẍ is given and generalized.

Type
Research Article
Information
Philosophy of Science , Volume 47 , Issue 1 , March 1980 , pp. 146 - 152
Copyright
Copyright © Philosophy of Science Association 1980

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

Footnotes

†

I would like to thank the anonymous referee for suggestions which I believe have greatly increased the merits of this paper.

References

Borneas, M. (1959), “On a Generalization of The Lagrange Function,” American Journal of Physics, Vol 27: 265.10.1119/1.1934822CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Borneas, M. (1969), “Principle of Action with Higher Derivatives,” Physical Review, Vol. 186, no. 5: 1299.Google Scholar
Borneas, M. (1972), “A Quantum Equation of Motion with Higher Derivatives,” American Journal of Physics, Vol. 40: 248.10.1119/1.1986500CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Dugas, R. (1955), A History of Mechanics, Trans. Maddox, J. R., New York: Central Book Company, Inc.Google Scholar
Hayes, C. F. (1969), “Quantization of the Generalized Hamiltonian,” Journal of Mathematical Physics, Vol. 10, No. 9: 1555.10.1063/1.1665004CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Jammer, M. (1959), Concepts of Force, Cambridge: Harvard University Press.Google Scholar
Koestler, J. G., and Smith, J. A., (1965), “Some Developments in Generalized Mechanics,” American Journal of Physics, Vol. 33: 140.10.1119/1.1971277CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Kruger, J. G., and Collebout, D. K. (1968), “Comments on Generalized Mechanics,” American Journal of Physics, Vol. 36: 557.10.1119/1.1974979CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Mach, E. (1893), The Science of Mechanics, LaSalle: Open Court Publishers, 1960.Google Scholar
Riahi, F. (1972), “On Lagrangians with Higher Order Derivatives,” American Journal of Physics, Vol. 40: 366.Google Scholar