Logic of differential calculus and the Zoo of geometric structures
Volume 110 / 2016
Abstract
Since the discovery of differential calculus by Newton and Leibniz and the subsequent continuous growth of its applications to physics, mechanics, geometry, etc. it was observed that partial derivatives in the study of various natural problems are (self-)organized in certain structures usually called geometric. Tensors, connections, jets, etc. are commonly known examples. This list of classical geometrical structures is sporadically and continuously widening. For instance, Lie algebroids and BV-bracket are popular recent additions to it.
Our goal is to show that the “zoo” of all geometrical structures has a common source in the calculus of functors of differential calculus over commutative algebras, which surprisingly comes from a due mathematical formalization of observability mechanism in classical physics. We also use this occasion for some critical remarks and discussion of some perspectives.
