Re: How can I tell if F is a string or if it is a number?

On Apr 24, 9:46 am, Patricia Shanahan <p...@xxxxxxx> wrote:
Pioneer1 wrote:

I think you are making a mistake in even trying to understand one
equation in isolation from the theory of which it is part. The "F" in
"F=ma" carries meaning from static mechanics.

Okay, I understand but the meaning from statics does not carry to
orbital motion. In statics force is communicated by pulleys and
strings. In orbital motion there are no strings, force acts
instantaneously from a distance. And the F term cancels out of the
formulas used to compute orbits. I am just looking at formulas for
orbits and those are not the formulas of static mechanics. Is this
observation wrong?
.