Inadequacy of classical mechanics
Classical mechanics is a branch of physics that deals with the motion of macroscopic bodies or objects $(i.e \: the \: size \: range \: greater \: then \: 10^{-8}m)$ under the influence of forces. While it was groundbreaking when first developed by Sir Isaac Newton in the 17th century, it has certain limitations that were discovered over time. In this answer, we will discuss these limitations in more detail:
- Classical Mechanics is not applicable to extremely small objects: Classical mechanics assumes that particles have a definite position and momentum, which is not true in the quantum world. This limitation became apparent in the early 20th century with the discovery of quantum mechanics. Quantum mechanics is a branch of physics that deals with the behavior or motion of particles on an atomic and subatomic level $(i.e \: the \: size \: range \: is \: in \: between \: 10^{-8}m \: to \: 10^{-15}m)$ i.e microscopic particles. It has been successful in explaining phenomena such as the photoelectric effect, blackbody radiation, and the behavior of electrons in atoms, which cannot be explained by classical mechanics.
- Classical Mechanics is not applicable to objects moving at very high speeds: Classical mechanics assumes that the speed of an object can be infinite, it is not true in the relativistic world. The theory of relativity which was developed by Albert Einstein in the early 20th century, explains the behavior of objects moving at high speeds (i.e. equal to the speed of light). The theory of relativity has been successful in predicting phenomena such as time dilation, length contraction, and the equivalence of mass and energy.
- Classical Mechanics can not well explain the behavior of systems with many particles: Classical mechanics is not well suited for dealing with systems that have many particles. This is because it is difficult to solve the equations of motion for systems with many particles, and the behavior of the system can become chaotic. The theory of statistical mechanics, developed in the late 19th century, addresses this limitation by using probability distributions to describe the behavior of large systems.
- Classical Mechanics can not explain the behavior of objects that are very far apart or have very high masses: Newton's law of gravity works well for objects that are close together, but it fails to explain the behavior of objects that are extremely far apart or have very high masses, such as black holes and galaxies. The theory of general relativity, developed by Einstein in the early 20th century, provides a better explanation of the behavior of objects with very high masses and gravitational fields.
- Classical Mechanics assumes determinism: Classical mechanics assumes that the universe is deterministic, meaning that the future state of a system can be predicted with complete accuracy if the initial state is known. However, this assumption has been challenged by the theory of chaos, which suggests that small changes in the initial state of a system can lead to unpredictable and chaotic behavior in the future.
