ABSTRACT
A central force is a force whose line of action passes through a single point or center (fixed or in motion with constant velocity) and whose magnitude depends only on the distance from the center. Forces, such as gravity and electrostatic force, are all central forces. Perhaps the first example of central force motion to be recognized was that of the planets about the sun. In old quantum theory, Bohr’s hydrogen atom was described in terms of a classical two-body central picture. Certain twobody nuclear interactions, such as the scattering of alpha particles by nuclei, undoubtedly have a central character.
