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Physical Mathematics
The subject of physical mathematics is concerned with physically motivated mathematics and is considered by some as a subfield of mathematical physics. According to Margaret Osler the simple machines of Hero of Alexandria and the ray tracing (physics), ray tracing of Alhazen did not refer to causality (physics), causality or forces. Accordingly these early expressions of kinematics and optics do not rise to the level of mathematical physics as practiced by Galileo and Newton. The details of physical units and their manipulation were addressed by Alexander Macfarlane in ''Physical Arithmetic'' in 1885. The science of kinematics created a need for mathematical representation of motion and has found expression with complex numbers, quaternions, and linear algebra. At Cambridge University the Mathematical Tripos tested students on their knowledge of "mixed mathematics". "... [N]ew books which appeared in the mid-eighteenth century offered a systematic introduction to the fundamental ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Mathematical Physics
Mathematical physics refers to the development of mathematics, mathematical methods for application to problems in physics. The ''Journal of Mathematical Physics'' defines the field as "the application of mathematics to problems in physics and the development of mathematical methods suitable for such applications and for the formulation of physical theories". An alternative definition would also include those mathematics that are inspired by physics (also known as physical mathematics). Scope There are several distinct branches of mathematical physics, and these roughly correspond to particular historical periods. Classical mechanics The rigorous, abstract and advanced reformulation of Newtonian mechanics adopting the Lagrangian mechanics and the Hamiltonian mechanics even in the presence of constraints. Both formulations are embodied in analytical mechanics and lead to understanding the deep interplay of the notions of symmetry (physics), symmetry and conservation law, con ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
