Hostname: page-component-77c89778f8-m8s7h Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-07-16T10:57:22.940Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false

Planetary orbits and approximations

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  01 August 2016

S. B. Edgar*
Affiliation:
Mathematics Department, University of Botswana, Gaborone, Botswana

Extract

How refreshing to read C. D. Collinson’s [1] article in the March 1986 Gazette on the importance of stressing approximations in teaching mechanics. Once students get over their initial scepticism that mechanics has anything to do with the real world, I too find an enthusiastic response from classes invited to contribute their ideas on the sort of approximations and assumptions which have to be made to model a physical situation. Approximations and assumptions are fundamental to the art of mathematical modelling in mechanics and cause more difficulties to students than is often realised; class discussions reveal that many of the problems which students have with mechanics are related to approximations, and such discussions can also bring out some unsuspected fundamental misconceptions. One such misconception, related to approximations, is discussed here and the proposed method of clarification includes developing a little more Collinson’s use of “the linear approximation”.

Type
Research Article
Copyright
Copyright © Mathematical Association 1987

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

1. Collinson, C. D., Linear approximation and school mechanics, Math. Gaz. 70, 1821 (1986).Google Scholar
2. Warren, J. W., Understanding force, John Murray (1979).Google Scholar