In
physics,
modified Newtonian dynamics (
MOND) is a theory that proposes a modification of
Newton's laws to account for observed properties of
galaxies. Created in 1983 by Israeli physicist
Mordehai Milgrom, the theory's original motivation was to explain the fact that the velocities of stars in galaxies were observed to be larger than expected based on Newtonian mechanics. Milgrom noted that this discrepancy could be resolved if the
gravitational force experienced by a star in the outer regions of a galaxy was proportional to the square of its centripetal
acceleration (as opposed to the centripetal acceleration itself, as in
Newton's Second Law), or alternatively if gravitational force came to vary inversely with radius (as opposed to the inverse square of the radius, as in
Newton's Law of Gravity). In MOND, violation of Newton's Laws occurs at extremely small accelerations, characteristic of galaxies yet far below anything typically encountered in the
Solar System or on Earth.
