Kepler Problem - Mathematical Definition

Mathematical Definition

The central force F that varies in strength as the inverse square of the distance r between them:


\mathbf{F} = \frac{k}{r^{2}} \mathbf{\hat{r}}

where k is a constant and represents the unit vector along the line between them. The force may be either attractive (k<0) or repulsive (k>0). The corresponding scalar potential (the potential energy of the non-central body) is:


V(r) = \frac{k}{r}

Read more about this topic:  Kepler Problem

Famous quotes containing the words mathematical and/or definition:

    “The most distinct and beautiful statement of any truth must take at last the mathematical form.”
    —Henry David Thoreau (1817–1862)

    “The very definition of the real becomes: that of which it is possible to give an equivalent reproduction.... The real is not only what can be reproduced, but that which is always already reproduced. The hyperreal.”
    —Jean Baudrillard (b. 1929)