A metric tensor is defined from the underlying Hubert space structure for any submanifold of quantum states. The case where the manifold is generated by the action of a Lie group on a fixed state vector (generalized coherent states manifold hereafter noted G.C.S.M.) is studied in details; the geometrical properties of some wellknown G.C.S.M. are reviewed and an explicit expression for the scalar Riemannian curvature is given in the general case. The physical meaning of such Riemannian structures (which have been recently introduced to describe collective manifolds in nuclear physics) is discussed. It is shown on examples that the distance between nearby states is related to quantum fluctuations; in the particular case of the harmonic oscillator group the condition of zero curvature appears to be identical to that of non dispersion of wave packets.
Proceeding like Newton with a discrete time approach of motion and a geometrical representation of velocity and acceleration, we obtain Kepler's laws without solving differential equations. The difficult part of Newton's work, when it calls for non-trivial properties of ellipses, is avoided by the introduction of polar coordinates. Then a simple reconsideration of Newton's figure naturally leads to an explicit expression of the velocity and to the equation of the trajectory. This derivation, which can be fully apprehended by beginners at university (or even before) can be considered as a first application of mechanical concepts to a physical problem of great historical and pedagogical interest.
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