Extrapolation: Newton’s Second Law

New Words 

Estimation, Conclusion.

Main Idea 

Estimation is making guesses about the future based on hypotheses and data one already knows. It is an informed guess. That is what extrapolation is about. It is the extension of a system, holding the status quo will remain. Conclusion is a final opinion formed based on evidence available. Conclusion, or inference, is the logical consequence.

Summary 

Newton uses force and mass to make estimations/extrapolations and conclusions/inferences. Newton uses finite differences to make a series that fits available data. The resulting curve can be used to estimate the data.

Prediction 

Pushing a cannonball with the same force that is used to push a hockey puck will result in the cannonball ball having a smaller acceleration than the hockey puck. However, this result is not down to ‘weight’ as most people will imagine. Rather, this will be proved by probing how the matter in an object, and therefore, mass affects the acceleration of this same object.

Mass is defined as the measure of the amount of matter in an object. The probing of mass will reveal that masses can combine in very simple methods. Masses can be added and therefore, the combined masses of two similar objects will result in the masses adding up to become two times the size of the initial one. To further examine this notion, the use of a spring to pull one hockey puck and the use of the same spring to pull two hockey pucks of the same size using the same force will show that the acceleration of the two springs is half that of the initial one.

Conclusion 

If the mass of an object is increased then the acceleration of the object will equally reduce and vice versa. This shows that the mass and acceleration of an object are inversely proportional. Additionally, the more mass an object has, the more force will be needed to produce a desired acceleration. Therefore, in this context, the mass of an object will be defined as the amount of inertia present in the object.

Inference 

Basically, Newton’s second law of motion will try to define the interrelationship between acceleration, mass, and net force. Even though acceleration can be quantified numerically, the other two still have a way to go. Despite that fact, it is safe to say that it will not take too long before physicists can numerically quantify inertia and net force.