- #36
bhobba
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Very interesting thread,
I read the PO thread mentioned by Urs and one thing that struck me was what Gerard t'Hooft (of all people) said:
Fine, but how then do space and time develop curvature? Do we have to dodge the question what that curvature really is?
I sort of balked - this is standard textbook stuff - see Chapter 7 - Ohanian - Gratification and Space-Time.
Of course you can't show that space-time is curved - I discussed this at length with Steve Carlip once - its a basic impossibility because you can never tell if it's actually curved or something (gravitons perhaps) simply makes it behave like its curved. Anyway as the above shows from the linearised equation, which would fit in with Dr Neumaier's interpretation, you can get the full EFE's. How you interpret them is up to you.
Thanks
Bill
I read the PO thread mentioned by Urs and one thing that struck me was what Gerard t'Hooft (of all people) said:
Fine, but how then do space and time develop curvature? Do we have to dodge the question what that curvature really is?
I sort of balked - this is standard textbook stuff - see Chapter 7 - Ohanian - Gratification and Space-Time.
Of course you can't show that space-time is curved - I discussed this at length with Steve Carlip once - its a basic impossibility because you can never tell if it's actually curved or something (gravitons perhaps) simply makes it behave like its curved. Anyway as the above shows from the linearised equation, which would fit in with Dr Neumaier's interpretation, you can get the full EFE's. How you interpret them is up to you.
Thanks
Bill