Group theoretical formulation of free fall and projectile motion

DOI10.1088/1361-6404/AABDA1MaRDI QIDQ4683453zbMATH OpenOpenAlexFDO

Authors Koray Düztaş

Publication date 21 September 2018

Published in European Journal of Physics (Search for Journal in Brave)

Full work available at URL https://arxiv.org/abs/1802.02458

zbMATH Keywords

free fallone parameter groupsprojectile motion

Mathematics Subject Classification ID

Applications of Lie groups to the sciences; explicit representations (22E70) One-parameter semigroups and linear evolution equations (47D06) Kinematics of a rigid body (70B10)

Abstract: In this work we formulate the group theoretical description of free fall and projectile motion. We show that the kinematic equations for constant acceleration form a one parameter group acting on a phase space. We define the group elements $ph{i}_t$ by their action on the points in the phase space. We also generalize this approach to projectile motion. We evaluate the group orbits regarding their relations to the physical orbits of particles and unphysical solutions. We note that the group theoretical formulation does not apply to more general cases involving a time dependent acceleration. This method improves our understanding of the constant acceleration problem with its global approach. It is especially beneficial for students who want to pursue a career in theoretical physics.

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Cites work

• scientific article; zbMATH DE number 3448507 (Why is no real title available?)
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Cited in

(2)

• An elegant way to find out acceleration in circular motion
• Can a road-driven car outrace a free-falling car?

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