Can anyone explain to me Kepler's laws

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Homework Help Overview

The discussion revolves around Kepler's laws of planetary motion and their relationship to Newton's law of universal gravitation. The original poster seeks clarification on the laws and their applications, as well as the historical context of how Newton proved these laws.

Discussion Character

  • Conceptual clarification, Assumption checking

Approaches and Questions Raised

  • Participants explore the relationship between Kepler's empirical formulation of his laws and Newton's gravitational theory. There is a question regarding the direction of proof between the two scientists, with some suggesting that Newton's laws were used to derive Kepler's laws rather than the other way around.

Discussion Status

The discussion is ongoing, with participants sharing links to resources for further exploration of the proofs related to Kepler's laws and Newton's contributions. There is an acknowledgment of differing interpretations regarding the historical context of these laws.

Contextual Notes

Participants are navigating the complexities of historical scientific development and the empirical versus theoretical foundations of the laws in question. There is a mention of calculus resources that may provide mathematical proofs, indicating a potential gap in the original poster's current understanding.

Gear300
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Can anyone explain to me Kepler's laws and equations relative to how to use them? It would also be helpful if an understanding of how Newton proved his laws of universal gravitation using them... I want to be more clarified than what the book says.
 
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no no no, Newton used his law of universal gravitation to prove kepler's laws. kepler formulated his laws empirically. if you have a calculus book there should be a section at the end of the vector introduction that proves kepler's laws.
 
I see; then I'll check to see
 
Johannes Kepler (1571-1630)
Isaac Isaac (1642-1727),
For proof of Kepler's laws, see:
http://www.physics.upenn.edu/courses/gladney/mathphys/java/sect5/subsubsection5_1_1_1.html
For further detail on Newton's proof, see:
http://arxiv.org/abs/math/0112048
 
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alright...I'll check the sites out; thanks
 

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