Rant 1: Gravity And Predicting The Future (Physics,History)

Rant 1: Gravity and Predicting the Future (Physics,History)

Okay I know a lot of us here don't like physics a lot, and I can agree when it comes to weird formulae and counterintuitive theorems, but bear with me for a second here, it gets intersting

Rant 1: Gravity And Predicting The Future (Physics,History)

Newton's universal law of gravitation. Any science student has seen it at some point in their study lives and love it or hate it, it represents what's keeping the universe from spinning out of order (at least at a larger scale).

As students who are made to tediously calculate the force acting between two arbitrary planets we might not appreciate this simple equation too much, but it marks an important turning point in the history of the human race: where we finally managed to gain a true scientific and mathematical insight into the movements on our planet and those that occured in the infinite heavens above.

A: Halley's Comet

The ubiquitous equation appeared in the first volume of Sir Isaac Newton's Principia which was presented to the Royal Society. Although the Principia managed to explain a lot of observations, some of which remain remarkably relevant today, Newton's research on comets on comets was incomplete. This is where Edmund Halley, Newton's editor, publisher and friend steps in.

Using Newton's Laws of Gravitation and Motion for the mathematical aspect, Halley analysed 24 cometary observations and found a pattern emerging in the path of one that had been observed in 1682. Based on historical records the same comet had zoomed past earth in 1607 and 1531. If his work and Newton's theorems were correct, he predicted, in 1705, that the comet should return in 1758.

Lo and behold! A Christmas miracle! On 25th December, 1758, Johann Palitzsch, a German amateur astronomer, witnessed Halley's comet. Halley himself had died in 1742 and could not witness the momentous occasion, but the celestial body's return cemented Newton's work in the scientific community and remained unshaken for over two centuries until Einstein came up with General Relativity.

B: Newton can't be wrong, it must be an entire other planet!

With better telescope systems, astronomers were able to peer farther into space than before, the discovery and observation of Uranus, however raised controversy, since its orbit did not comply with the predictions from Newton's laws.

Many were ready to believe that the giant had fallen: Newton's age old theory had been disproven and it was time to move on, but a few scientists like John Couch Addams proposed an unseen planet whose gravitation caused anomalies Uranus' orbit.

About 4 years after Couch's proposal, in 1845, Urbain Le Verrier, a French astronomer and mathematician started the tedious work of calculating this invisible planet's location, purely from the motion of Uranus and mechanics. After many months of complex calculation, he presented his solution to the French academy on 31st August 1846.

On 23rd September in the same year Neptune was observed with a telescope for the first time and its location was within 1° of Le Verrier's prediction. Which is an utterly wild achievement, considering that it was the first time that a human had discovered a planet at the tip of their pen.

C: But it's outdated!

Yea yea Einstein's Theory of General Relativity is a much better explanation of gravitational phenomena, but even today, Newton's approach provides a REALLY good approximation of how it works. The only cases where Newton's theorems don't work are those with extreme gravity: such as black holes or between the Sun and Mercury.

So the next time when you're solving a question on gravity, maybe you'll appreciate the sheer power of the human mind and this tiny equation: that lead to our first great leaps in astronomy and still power things like air travel and architecture. Or you'll appreciate it thinking, "hey, at least I don't have to sit around for months trying to find something that I haven't even seen". Either way, you'll hopefully like this part of physics just a tiny bit more :)

More Posts from Taiisdelusional and Others

1 year ago
This Painting Came To Me In A Dream

this painting came to me in a dream

1 year ago

you know how some people go to parties and befriend the pets there like the dogs & cats? whenever i go to social functions i somehow end up randomly in charge of children. i don’t know how it happens. people are always just foisting children off on me in public places.

and the thing is it never stops at one child, because once you have one with you, another child approaches, and then parents start to think you’re perhaps some sort of hired childcare at the function and they don’t ask you. more children appear whose parents pointed at you and the other children and said, “oh look! that’s where all the kids are! go over there!”

I was at a work picnic once and a man from another department asked me to hold his 5-month-old while he filled up his plate. Then he got distracted talking to friends and didn’t come back for thirty minutes. I stood there with this baby whose name I actually didn’t know, chit-chatting a meeting new colleagues, and everyone assumed it was my baby and kept asking about him and what was I supposed to do? Say, “oh this isn’t mine” ?? Because then they’d ask whose it was and we actually hadn’t exchanged names. So then what would I say, “I don’t know” ??????????

I started wondering if I needed to make up a fake backstory for this baby.

The baby’s MOM eventually showed up looking for her husband, saw me, and said, far more pleasantly than she needed to, “hi! You seem to have my baby????”

I was just like, “indeed. so I do.”

I once volunteered to run the bubble table at a local festival. The point was to come get bubble wands & soap to use around the festival, but people just started sending their children over en masse. The festival ended, and I still had like 17 unattended children. I needed to go home.

I had no idea what to do. I needed to find an event organizer but I couldn’t leave them alone? So I started walking around the festival with a line of hand-holding children to find an authority I could give them away to like some sort of reverse Pied Piper

once I ended up in charge of a 3 year old at a funeral and she realized what death was and that she was going to die one day. I was holding her & she was crying while I was desperately trying to locate her parents.

Idk where I’m going with this.

I need to find a way to seem less approachable so no more strange toddlers have mortality crises in my arms.

1 year ago

insane how people think i can just do things. "can you mail me this?" and get killed by the post office desk workers?????!!!?

1 year ago
Purple-gold Jumping Spider, Irura Bidenticulata, Salticidae
Purple-gold Jumping Spider, Irura Bidenticulata, Salticidae
Purple-gold Jumping Spider, Irura Bidenticulata, Salticidae
Purple-gold Jumping Spider, Irura Bidenticulata, Salticidae
Purple-gold Jumping Spider, Irura Bidenticulata, Salticidae
Purple-gold Jumping Spider, Irura Bidenticulata, Salticidae
Purple-gold Jumping Spider, Irura Bidenticulata, Salticidae
Purple-gold Jumping Spider, Irura Bidenticulata, Salticidae
Purple-gold Jumping Spider, Irura Bidenticulata, Salticidae
Purple-gold Jumping Spider, Irura Bidenticulata, Salticidae

Purple-gold jumping spider, Irura bidenticulata, Salticidae

Found in Southeast Asia

Photo 1 by bemcola, 2 by portioid, 3 by andrewhardacre, 4 by lawrencehylton, 5 by kitlaw, 6-7 by pauldickson, 8 by lawrencehylton, 9 by andrewhardacre, and 10 for scale by gohulee

2 years ago

I learned how to love myself when I chose to love humanity. 

2 years ago
taiisdelusional - titled
10 months ago
European Garden Spider (Araneus Diadematus)/korsspindel. Huddinge In Stockholm, Södermanland, Sweden
European Garden Spider (Araneus Diadematus)/korsspindel. Huddinge In Stockholm, Södermanland, Sweden
European Garden Spider (Araneus Diadematus)/korsspindel. Huddinge In Stockholm, Södermanland, Sweden
European Garden Spider (Araneus Diadematus)/korsspindel. Huddinge In Stockholm, Södermanland, Sweden

European garden spider (Araneus diadematus)/korsspindel. Huddinge in Stockholm, Södermanland, Sweden (August 18, 2013).

1 year ago

This is for people of Israel/anyone who supports Israel/anyone who wants to stay "neutral" about this genocide, remember that this is how your fav "defenders/heroes/government servants are supposed to be responsible" are talking about innocent Palestinians civilians:

This Is For People Of Israel/anyone Who Supports Israel/anyone Who Wants To Stay "neutral" About This
This Is For People Of Israel/anyone Who Supports Israel/anyone Who Wants To Stay "neutral" About This
This Is For People Of Israel/anyone Who Supports Israel/anyone Who Wants To Stay "neutral" About This
This Is For People Of Israel/anyone Who Supports Israel/anyone Who Wants To Stay "neutral" About This
This Is For People Of Israel/anyone Who Supports Israel/anyone Who Wants To Stay "neutral" About This
This Is For People Of Israel/anyone Who Supports Israel/anyone Who Wants To Stay "neutral" About This
This Is For People Of Israel/anyone Who Supports Israel/anyone Who Wants To Stay "neutral" About This
This Is For People Of Israel/anyone Who Supports Israel/anyone Who Wants To Stay "neutral" About This
This Is For People Of Israel/anyone Who Supports Israel/anyone Who Wants To Stay "neutral" About This
This Is For People Of Israel/anyone Who Supports Israel/anyone Who Wants To Stay "neutral" About This

If you choose not to speak on this matter, if you choose to not speak up for Palestinians, then be well assured, 100% guaranteed that what's happening in Palestine can (and will if you let Israel get away with MASS MURDER) also just as easily happen to you, and then there will be other people who would stay "neutral" and silent on this matter.

If you think that the reason you're not taking sides is because you don't really know the situation that well, then EDUCATE yourself. It is your responsibility, as a fucking human, to do your research to stop and prevent such atrocities from being committed.

(I know, I FUCKING KNOW I have at least a few dozen followers from Israel/support Israel/ZIONISTS who are reading this and I know that your eyes may be blind, but your hearts aren't. Don't be a hypocrite, and don't be ignorant)

2 years ago

if u ever see me posting something cringe or embarrassing i didnt that was my evil twin my doppleganger

  • casiopeasmiles
    casiopeasmiles liked this · 2 years ago
  • dat-physics-gal
    dat-physics-gal liked this · 2 years ago
  • faefaye
    faefaye liked this · 2 years ago
  • esterlwt
    esterlwt liked this · 2 years ago
  • jaquitii
    jaquitii liked this · 2 years ago
  • amultiverseuniverse
    amultiverseuniverse liked this · 2 years ago
  • keyakasi
    keyakasi liked this · 2 years ago
  • virtigo20
    virtigo20 reblogged this · 2 years ago
  • weedontalwaysknowwhatsbestforus
    weedontalwaysknowwhatsbestforus liked this · 2 years ago
  • semkirk
    semkirk reblogged this · 2 years ago
  • semkirk
    semkirk liked this · 2 years ago
  • problematic-curiosity
    problematic-curiosity reblogged this · 2 years ago
  • bats6425
    bats6425 liked this · 2 years ago
  • bjsstardust
    bjsstardust liked this · 2 years ago
  • sciathainairgid
    sciathainairgid reblogged this · 2 years ago
  • sciathainairgid
    sciathainairgid liked this · 2 years ago
  • yerpmerp5
    yerpmerp5 liked this · 2 years ago
  • taiisdelusional
    taiisdelusional reblogged this · 2 years ago
  • taiisdelusional
    taiisdelusional liked this · 2 years ago
  • dierotenixe
    dierotenixe liked this · 2 years ago
  • callahass
    callahass reblogged this · 2 years ago
  • callahass
    callahass liked this · 2 years ago
  • frog-with-hat
    frog-with-hat reblogged this · 2 years ago
  • frog-with-hat
    frog-with-hat reblogged this · 2 years ago
  • frog-with-hat
    frog-with-hat liked this · 2 years ago
  • lairofsentinel
    lairofsentinel liked this · 2 years ago
  • giant-sequoia
    giant-sequoia reblogged this · 2 years ago
  • giant-sequoia
    giant-sequoia liked this · 2 years ago
  • mallpop
    mallpop liked this · 2 years ago
  • kuhuchan
    kuhuchan reblogged this · 2 years ago
  • mera-mann-kehne-laga
    mera-mann-kehne-laga liked this · 2 years ago

Wildly autistic | 20yo | pfp made using @reelrollsweat 's little guy maker

240 posts

Explore Tumblr Blog
Search Through Tumblr Tags