- #1
adjurovich
- 34
- 8
I am not sure if there is in fact a classical description of how it occurs, but I’d like to know if there isn’t too!
I am not sure about that, we can define the Newtonian gravitational field ##\mathbf F =m \mathbf g(r)##, where ##\mathbf F## is the force due to gravity on a mass ##m## and ##\mathbf g(\mathbf r)## the gravitational field.Hill said:In Newtonian mechanics, there is no "gravitational field". In general relativity, there is no "gravitational force".
What do you use this equation for, then?Hill said:In Newtonian mechanics, there is no "gravitational field". In general relativity, there is no "gravitational force".
There is a gravitational field in Newtonian's mechanics. However this field is instantaneous and that already bothered Newton and many people after him.adjurovich said:What do you use this equation for, then?
##g = \dfrac{F}{m}##
There is also gravitational field in classical mechanics, but Newton never truly understood gravity… but do we?
I disagree. In Newtonian mechanics you certainly can define a gravitational field. It just doesn't have any interesting dynamics on its own.Hill said:In Newtonian mechanics, there is no "gravitational field". In general relativity, there is no "gravitational force".
Since in our best theory of gravity the gravitational field does not exert a gravitational force, what does the question in the title of the thread refer to?adjurovich said:Newton never truly understood gravity… but do we?
I see. Anyway, the modern answer to that question is, it does not. Here is "the answer" from Gravitation by Misner, Thorne, and Wheeler:adjurovich said:I have asked about classical (more precisely Newtonian) description, not the relativistic one. You cannot expect from a high school student to know much about general theory of relativity?
He didn't spam your inbox. More likely you got a notification that he replied in your thread. Please be careful using the term "spamming" here. Thank you.adjurovich said:It’s better than spamming someone’s inbox
That would be the second paragraph in post #5, to which you've yet to respond.adjurovich said:I am not sure if there is in fact a classical description of how it occurs, but I’d like to know if there isn’t too!