28/02/2018, 16:00 — 18:00 — Room P3.10, Mathematics Building
Josef Bemelmans, RWTH Aachen University, Germany
Central Results from Newton’s Principia Mathematica
I. The Body of Least Resistance
Newton solves a variational problem about 10 years before the curve of quickest descent was found, a topic that is regarded to be the beginning of modern calculus of variations.
II. The Force of Attraction of a Spherical Body
First the geometrical proof of this theorem is analyzed; then it is indicated that this result demonstrates the definitive role of mathematics in modern natural philosophy.
See also
Poster
Slides I
Slides II
Introduced by Hugo Beirão da Veiga, Università di Pisa.
