Can You Prove These Physics Formulas and Galileo's Law?

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Discussion Overview

The discussion revolves around the request to prove various physics formulas, including kinetic energy, potential energy, gravitational force, and Coulomb's law, as well as Galileo's law of falling bodies. Participants explore the nature of proof in physics compared to mathematics and the derivation of these equations.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory
  • Technical explanation
  • Debate/contested

Main Points Raised

  • Some participants suggest that physical formulas can be validated through real-world measurements, but acknowledge that these equations have limitations and apply only in specific situations.
  • One participant emphasizes that proving something in physics differs from mathematical proof, as physics is based on evolving understanding of the physical world.
  • Another participant notes that many equations, like Coulomb's Law, are phenomenological and cannot be derived from first principles.
  • A participant provides a derivation of gravitational potential energy (pE=mgh) based on the definition of work, arguing that it stems from fundamental ideas that cannot be proven mathematically.
  • Another participant offers a derivation for kinetic energy (kE=mv²/2) using a scenario involving a constant force, while acknowledging that this may not be the standard approach.
  • Discussion includes references to Gauss's Law as a basis for deriving Coulomb's law (F=Kq1q2/d²) and gravitational force (F=GMm/r²), highlighting their connection to the inverse square law.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants generally agree that physical formulas are validated through observation and that they have limitations. However, there is no consensus on the nature of proof in physics versus mathematics, and multiple competing views on the derivation of the formulas remain unresolved.

Contextual Notes

Participants note that the equations presented may be non-standard or adapted to specific situations, and there is a call for clarity on the definitions of symbols used in the equations.

izdombireki
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zE=kE=mv² / 2,
pE=brE=mgh,
F=GMm/r²=Erk,
F=kp1 q2/d²,
fx=mv²/2

Could you proof the formulas above?and also Galileo's h=gt²/2
Can you proof them?
 
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Physical formulae can be "Proved" by measuring them against real world, however all of the equations you have listed have their limits, and only apply in certain (although the vast majority of common) situations.

V
 
izdombireki said:
zE=kE=mv² / 2,
pE=brE=mgh,
F=GMm/r²=Erk,
F=kp1 q2/d²,
fx=mv²/2

Could you proof the formulas above?and also Galileo's h=gt²/2
Can you proof them?

What you are asking here is extremely vague and could be based on a misunderstanding, or even simply based on semantics.

One cannot prove something in physics the way one can in mathematics. This is because physics is a description based on our understanding of the physical world. And this understanding changes all the time because we keep learning more and more of our world, and thus, causes refinement in what we know.

Now, if you're asking of one can DERIVE such equations, then you will need to provide the STARTING POINT of such derivation, i.e. how far back, or at what level do you want to use as the starting point? Note that in many cases in physics, the equations are purely phenomenological in nature, i.e. they are not derived from any starting point. Classical Coulomb's Law (one of the equation you listed) is one such example. The most general form of this equation cannot be classically derived. It can be presented in various forms depending on the problem (such as for a point charge), but the general form is phenomenological.

When you provide an equation, especially when it is either non-standard, or have been adapted to a particular situation, please provide the definitions for all the symbols involved. While practically everyone knows what "F=ma" is, "fx", "brE", and "zE" are all meaningless.

Zz.
 
Although all the posts above me are right (i.e. in physics something is proven if it works against observation), I guess a few of those formulas stem from more fundamental ideas, which cannot be proven mathematically (either because they're defined to be true or they work experimentally).

pE=mgh: The definition of work is the line integral Sum F(dot)dr. In the simple case of a constant force in one direction (i.e. gravity), moving an object against the force would result in W = F (Integral) dr = Fd=mad (F can be taken out of the integral because it is constant), and when talking about gravity we know a=g and d=h, so W=mgh.

kE=mv2/2 : Let's say we have an object moving in the +ve x direction with mass m and a speed v0 and energy E (which we don't know yet). Now let's say we apply a constant force of 1N against the object (-x direction) until it stops. Then F=ma=-1. Integrate this a few times to find the distance it takes for it to stop: mv=-t+C. We know at t=0, the initial velocity of the mass was v0, so C=mv0. We want v=0 (when the object stops), so t=C=mv0. Integrate again you get md=-1/2t2+mv0t, plug in t=mv0: md=-1/2(mv0)2+(mv0)2=1/2(mv0)2, so d=1/(2m)(mv0)2=1/2mv02. By the definition of work used before, W = F (Integral) dr = Fd=(1)(1/2)mv02. So if it took us 1/2mv02 units of energy to stop the object, it (by conservation of energy) but have had energy of 1/2mv02. This derivation makes sense, although it may not be the standard way of doing it since I just made it up...

F=Kq1q2/d^2: This comes straight from Maxwell's equations (Gauss's Law) applied to a sphere or a point. I'm not going to try to do it here just because (as I found out from the above derivation), doing math with a keyboard really sucks. What you do is just use Gauss's law on a sphere or point of charge q and find the E fiend around the object. It gets pretty easy since, because of spherical symmetry, you know the field must point radially it or out of the sphere.

F=GMm/r^2: Again, (although I haven't done this one), I'm pretty sure it's just Gauss's Law but applied to a gravity field. Note that both F=GMm/r^2 and F=Kq1q2/d^2 are examples of the "inverse square law", which, in general, described the intensity of something coming from a point particle (or sphere) with respect to distance. (Note that 1/r^2 term is *always* there).
 

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