rw wrote:
vincent p. norris wrote:


It's all according to the principle of least action...



Never heard of that. Can you explain? That's not another name for
Newton's First Law of Motion, is it? ((:-))


The action principle in physics is independent of and far more general
than Newton's Laws. It finds application not only in mechanics, but also
in quantum field theory and general relativity. You can find many
explanations with a Google search. Once you understand it (and it's
subtle), Newton's Laws seem crude in comparison.

It's an elegant generalization but the concept wouldn't have arisen
without quite a few "crude" examples. In this particular instance, I
would say RW is talking about a different perspective on Newton's second
law.

Mike