The Key to Newton&39s Dynamics The Kepler Problem and the Principia [Paperback]

While much has been written on the ramifications of Newton's dynamics, until now the details of Newton's solution were available only to the physics expert.The Key to Newton's Dynamicsclearly explains the surprisingly simple analytical structure that underlies the determination of the force necessary to maintain ideal planetary motion. J. Bruce Brackenridge sets the problem in historical and conceptual perspective, showing the physicist's debt to the works of both Descartes and Galileo. He tracks Newton's work on the Kepler problem from its early stages at Cambridge before 1669, through the revival of his interest ten years later, to its fruition in the first three sections of the first edition of thePrincipia.

J. Bruce Brackenridgeis Alice G. Chapman Professor of Physics at Lawrence University.

The Key to Newton's Dynamicsis lucid, important, and fills a large gap in the existing literature. Brackenridge is undoubtedly that gifted, patient teacher that one expects from a quality liberal arts college. Alan E. Shapiro, University of Minnesota