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To: lafroste
I have concluded that potential energy is nonsense.

Physics takes as postulates the following.

1. There is energy of a particle, T, associated with its motion, called kinetic.

2. There is energy of a system of particles, U, associated with interactions among them, called potential.

3. Whenever a system of particles evolves, it does so in a way that make the total vaiation of the quantity (T-U) minimal (this is Hamilton's Principle of Least Action).

Conceptually, that's it. In applications, one has to exhibit the form of the potential energy U, which is system-specific, of course. There is no empirical evidence at odds with this structure.

Which part of it qualifies as nonsense?

98 posted on 12/20/2001 8:20:41 AM PST by TopQuark
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To: TopQuark
Physics takes as postulates the following.

Lunch break, errand running... But I see we have much to discuss. I will try to post a more complete explanation later

Lafroste

104 posted on 12/20/2001 8:47:43 AM PST by lafroste
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