Abstract
One of the most important uses of vector analysis (cf. Appendix A) is in the concise formulation of physical laws and the derivation of other results from these laws. We will develop and use the differential equations of motion for a body moving under the influence of a gravitational force only. In Chap. 5, we will add other (perturbing) forces to our model.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
Notes
- 1.
Isaac Newton (1642–1727) is generally regarded as one of the greatest mathematicians of all time. He entered Trinity College, Cambridge, in 1661 and graduated with a BA degree in 1665. In 1668, he received a master’s degree and was appointed Lucasian Professor of Mathematics, one of the most prestigious positions in English academia at the time. In his latter years, Newton served in Parliament and was warden of the mint. In 1703, he was elected president of the Royal Society of London, of which he had been a member since 1672. Two years later, he was knighted by Queen Anne.
Newton is given co-credit, along with the German Wilhelm Gottfried von Leibnitz, for the discovery and development of calculus-work that Newton did in the period 1664–1666 but did not publish until years later, thus laying the groundwork for an ugly argument with Leibnitz over who should get credit for the discovery. In 1687, at the urging of the astronomer Edmund Halley, Newton published his ground-breaking compilation of mathematics and science, Principia Mathematica, which is apparently the first place that the root-finding method that bears his name appears, although he probably had used it as early as 1669. This method is called “Newton’s Method” or “the Newton–Raphson Method.”
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2015 Springer International Publishing Switzerland
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Hintz, G.R. (2015). Fundamentals of Astrodynamics. In: Orbital Mechanics and Astrodynamics. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-09444-1_1
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-09444-1_1
Publisher Name: Springer, Cham
Print ISBN: 978-3-319-09443-4
Online ISBN: 978-3-319-09444-1
eBook Packages: EngineeringEngineering (R0)