Who Created the Inverse Square Law Theory

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Discussion Overview

The discussion revolves around the origins of the inverse square law (ISL), particularly in relation to gravitational force and its historical development. Participants explore who first formulated the law and its applications in various scientific contexts, including light and celestial mechanics.

Discussion Character

  • Historical
  • Debate/contested

Main Points Raised

  • One participant suggests that Isaac Newton was the first to use the inverse square law in relation to gravitational force, noting its mathematical representation as falling off at a ratio of 1/r².
  • Another participant argues that the inverse square law was known prior to Newton, citing historical references from the mid-14th century regarding illumination intensity and contributions from scientists like Kepler, Hooke, Wren, and Halley.
  • A participant proposes that the ISL could have been experimentally verified using light, suggesting a simple setup involving common materials to demonstrate the law's effects.
  • It is mentioned that while Newton calculated the implications of the ISL for gravity, earlier scientists had already speculated about its validity in celestial mechanics.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants express differing views on the origins of the inverse square law, with some attributing its formulation to Newton while others highlight earlier contributions and knowledge of the law. The discussion remains unresolved regarding who should be credited as the creator of the ISL.

Contextual Notes

There are references to historical figures and their contributions, but the discussion does not resolve the complexities of the ISL's development or the specific conditions under which it was understood and applied by different scientists.

InverseSquareLaw
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I Am Wanting to Find out who Created the inverse square law.

420px-Inverse_square_law.svg.png
 
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I'd say the first use of it was probably Isaac Newton, who discovered that the force of gravitation falls off in strength at a ratio of 1/r2, which is known as the inverse square law.
 
Drakkith said:
the force of gravitation falls off in strength at a ratio of 1/r2
It would have been much easier verify the ISL using light. His astronomical observations would not have given a direct 'proof' of ISL but he could have easily verified the effect of the ISL law with a simple photometer. You could do it yourself, on the 'kitchen table' with some light bulbs, tracing paper, oil and some cardboard boxes, painted black, to exclude extraneous light and reflections. No light meters need to be involved.
Here you are. That could be you and me in the front picture. :wink: (I thought, at first, the guy on the left was in his PJs.)
 
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InverseSquareLaw said:
I Am Wanting to Find out who Created the inverse square law.

420px-Inverse_square_law.svg.png

The ISL was known long before Newton came along, and not only in connection with gravitational concepts:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Inverse-square_law

The earliest indication from history is that the ISL could explain an observed physical phenomenon came from Oxford in the mid-14th century concerning the intensity of illumination. Later, the concept was picked up by other scientists, including Kepler, who suspected but could not prove that planets in orbit about the sun obeyed an ISL with respect to the force of attraction between them.

Other scientists in England, including Robert Hooke, Christopher Wren, and Edmond Halley, also subscribed to the idea of gravitation obeying the ISL, but it was Newton who showed that by calculation, the assumption of the ISL for gravity led directly to Kepler's laws of motion, and this astonishing result formed the basis for Halley to urge a reluctant Newton to write the Principia.
 
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