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40 votes
9 answers
5k views

Interpretation of the action in classical mechanics

In classical mechanics the dynamics on a manifold $M$ are characterised by the minimisation of a functional $$ \min_{q \in C^\infty(\mathbb{R},M)} \int_{\mathbb{R}}L(q(t),\dot{q}(t))dt, $$ where $L:TM\...
Jannik Pitt's user avatar
  • 1,484
34 votes
6 answers
5k views

Is symplectic reduction interesting from a physical point of view?

Do you think that symplectic reduction (Marsden Weinstein reduction) is interesting from a physical point of view? If so, why? Does it give you some new physical insights? There are some possible ...
student's user avatar
  • 1,222
15 votes
8 answers
2k views

How can I conclude that I live in a solar system?

Well, this is an awkward question and I don't know if it is mathematical enough for MO (I'm sorry if not) but I'll try it: What observations in the coordinate system centered in my fixed position on ...
user717's user avatar
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