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A mathematical model represents selected features of a system with mathematical objects and relations so that its behavior can be analyzed or predicted.

The small-angle approximation replaces $\sin \theta$ by $\theta$, giving the damped harmonic oscillator equation $\ddot{\theta }+c\dot{\theta }+\theta =0$. Its characteristic roots satisfy $r^2+cr+1=0$.

For $0<c<2$, put $\nu =\sqrt{1-c^2/4}$; the motion is underdamped:It oscillates with decaying amplitude. For $c=2$, the repeated root gives critical damping:For $c>2$, the motion is overdamped:Both real exponents are negative, so there is no oscillatory factor. The two constants are arbitrary in each case; these approximations require the displacement to remain small.

Let the Bravais lattice have primitive vectors $a_1,a_2,a_3$, and putThe reciprocal lattice has the basisThe scalar triple product and cross product identities giveConsequently every $q={\sum }_j{n}_j{b}_j$ satisfies $q\cdot l\in 2\pi \mathbb{Z}$ for every lattice point $l={\sum }_i{m}_i{a}_i$, and conversely these three conditions force the coefficients of $q$ in the reciprocal basis to be integers. This proves that the displayed vectors generate ${\Lambda }^{\ast }$.

In the Born approximation, suppose that the crystal potential is the sum of translates of one atomic potential $V_0$ over the finite set $S$ of lattice sites. Its Fourier transform at the momentum transfer $Q=k-k^{\prime }$ factors asThus the single-atom scattering amplitude is multiplied by the crystal lattice structure factor $\Delta (Q)$. Writingseparates the sum into three finite geometric series. For $l_i=-L_i/2,\dots ,L_i/2$ this givesWhen the $L_i$ are large, a factor has a sharp maximum when ${\alpha }_i=2\pi n_i$. All three factors are therefore simultaneously large precisely when $Q\in {\Lambda }^{\ast }$. These are the reciprocal-lattice peaks of a finite crystal.

For the stated Body-centered cubic lattice basis,the reciprocal-basis formula givesEquivalently,The shortest nonzero reciprocal vectors have squared Euclidean norm $2(2\pi /a{)}^2$, so

In elastic scattering, $|k|=|k^{\prime }|=k$. If $q=k-k^{\prime }\in {\Lambda }^{\ast }$ and $\theta$ is the angle between $k$ and $k^{\prime }$, Euclidean geometry givesThe first possible diffraction peak therefore occurs atas $ka\to \infty$, by the small-angle approximation. This is the elastic Bragg scattering condition for the shortest reciprocal-lattice vector.

For the nearly edge-on orbit $I=\pi /2-I^{\prime }$ with $I^{\prime }\ll 1$, the small-angle approximation gives $\cos I=\sin I^{\prime }=I^{\prime }+O(I^{\prime 3})$. HenceAlso,Thus, on a branch where $\cos f>0$ and with separation measured in units of $a$,as stated. The absolute value is required when $R_{\mathrm{sky}}$ denotes the nonnegative separation over the whole orbit.

A point mass constrained to a fixed-length massless arm under uniform gravitational acceleration is a simple pendulum. With no drag its angular equation is $\ddot{\theta }+(g/\ell )\sin \theta =0$. The small-angle approximation yields simple harmonic motion, whereas the full restoring force is nonlinear. Adding drag gives a damped pendulum.