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Health & Science3h 52m ago
Physicists have developed a framework to apply mathematical tools, previously limited to systems where Newton's third law applies, to nonreciprocal systems like bird flocks.
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Max Planck Institute for the Physics of Complex Systems
Who
Marin Bukov, Ricard Alert, researchers at the Max Planck Institute for the Physics of Complex Systems
What
Physicists have developed a framework to apply mathematical tools, previously limited to systems where Newton's third law applies, to nonreciprocal systems like bird flocks.
When
Sun, 14 Jun 2026 12:11:00 GMT · 3h 52m ago
Where
Max Planck Institute for the Physics of Complex Systems ·
Why
Many real-world collective systems, such as bird flocks or cellular movements, exhibit nonreciprocal interactions where Newton's third law does not apply, posing a challenge for physicists' traditional mathematical tools.
The Frontline Impact
How this affects you
This new theoretical framework allows physicists to use established methods to study complex systems where interactions are one-sided, potentially opening new avenues for understanding flocking animals, active matter, biological tissues, and exotic quantum systems. It makes analysis and simulation of these systems more efficient and accessible.
Story chain
4 events in this thread- Health & Science3h 52m agoA new study presents a framework that effectively restores access to powerful mathematical tools for studying systems where Newton's third law does not apply, such as bird flocks.Open article
- Health & Science3h 52m agoA new study presents a framework that effectively restores access to powerful mathematical tools in physics to study collective systems that appear to ignore Newton's third law.Open article
- Health & Science3h 52m agoA new study presents a framework that effectively restores access to powerful mathematical tools for studying systems where Newton's third law does not apply.Open article
- Currently Reading3h 52m agoPhysicists have developed a framework to apply mathematical tools, previously limited to systems where Newton's third law applies, to nonreciprocal systems like bird flocks.