Re: [cdn-nucl-l] Physics Today: The culture of F = ma

[Esam Hussein <hussein@unb.ca>]

For many years I start a course on Solid Mechanics (stress analysis)  that 
I teach by asking students to define force. The usual answer is F = ma, I 
then push the wall with my arm and it does not accelerate!   So we start 
the discussion with the strain in my arm. We then combine Newton's law of 
force with Hook's law of elasticity to get the wave equation for body 
deformation.

Esam


At 08:01 PM 04/10/2004, Jerry Cuttler wrote:
>Food for thought and discussion ...
>-----------------------------
>http://www.physicstoday.org/vol-57/iss-10/p11.html?type=PTALERT
>
>Whence the Force of F = ma?
>I: Culture Shock
>Frank Wilczek