Foundations of Newtonian Dynamics: An Axiomatic Approach for the Thinking Student

Abstract

Despite its apparent simplicity, Newtonian Mechanics contains conceptual subtleties that may cause some confusion to the deep-thinking student. These subtleties concern fundamental issues such as, e.g., the number of independent laws needed to formulate the theory, or, the distinction between genuine physical laws and derivative theorems. This article attempts to clarify these issues for the benefit of the student by revisiting the foundations of Newtonian Dynamics and by proposing a rigorous axiomatic approach to the subject. This theoretical scheme is built upon two fundamental postulates, namely, conservation of momentum and superposition property for interactions. Newton's Laws, as well as all familiar theorems of Mechanics, are shown to follow from these basic principles.