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Health & Science5h 18m ago
A 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.
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Who
Marin Bukov, Ricard Alert, Max Planck Institute for the Physics of Complex Systems, Max Planck Institute
What
A 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.
When
Sun, 14 Jun 2026 12:11:00 GMT · 5h 18m ago
Where
not specified ·
Why
Many real-world collective systems, like bird flocks or moving cells, appear to ignore Newton's third law, posing a challenge because standard mathematical tools assume balanced action and reaction.
The Frontline Impact
How this affects you
This new framework allows scientists to use established computational and analytical methods to study a wider range of complex systems with one-sided interactions more efficiently, potentially leading to new insights in fields from biology to quantum physics.
Story chain
4 events in this thread- Currently Reading5h 18m 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.
- Health & Science5h 18m 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 & Science5h 18m 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
- Health & Science5h 18m 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.Open article