Modern light on ancient feud: Robert Hooke and Newton's graphical method

Abstract

The feud between Robert Hooke and Isaac Newton has remained ongoing even after 300 years, over whether Newton should have acknowledged Hooke's influence on his graphical method of constructing planet orbits, the celebrated Proposition 1, Theorem 1 of the $Principia$. The drama has escalated in recent decades, with a claim that Hooke may have used the same method and obtained an elliptical orbit for a linear force, a feat that some considered Newton never did for the inverse-square force. Modern understanding of Newton's graphical method as a symplectic integrator can now shed light on whether this claim is creditable. This work, based on knowing the Hamiltonian of the symplectic integrator, deduced the analytical orbit corresponding to Newton's graphical construction. A detailed comparison between this analytical orbit and Hooke's drawing shows that it is unlikely that Hooke had used Newton's graphical method and obtained the correct orbit.