On the physical interpretation of Nonstandard methods in mechanics (Q800745)

The last author published a sequence of articles in the years 1979-81 pointing out applications of nonstandard analysis to continuum mechanics [see e.g. Mech. Teor. Stosow. 19, 511-525 (1981; Zbl 0536.73005)]. Mechanics of materials with point moments, with microscopic sources of stress, are ''naturally'' adaptable to such treatment. In the present note the authors discuss phenomena that require different degrees of accuracy of measurement and observation. This paper may be regarded as a remark that nonstandard relations of different orders of ''fineness'' may offer entirely different macroscopic insights after taking the standard part projection. An example was offered by the second author who discussed the internal constraints in elastic materials, ibid. 32, 389-393 (1984).