Exploring Gravity: How Does it Supply an Arbitrary Amount of Energy?

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In summary, Greene argues that the gravitational field has an "arbitrary" amount of energy that was necessary to create the inflationary universe.
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Lapidus
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From Greene's pop science book 'The hidden reality', I got this:

What’s vital to realize is that the gravitational field’s energy can be arbitrarily negative. Consider two particles falling toward each other under their mutual
gravitational attraction. Gravity coaxes the particles to approach each other
faster and faster, and as they do, their kinetic energy gets ever more positive.
The gravitational field can supply the particles with such positive energy
because gravity can draw down its own energy reserve, which becomes
arbitrarily negative in the process: the closer the particles approach each other,
the more negative the gravitational energy becomes (equivalently, the more
positive the energy you’d need to inject to overcome the force of gravity and
separate the particles once again). Gravity is thus like a bank that has a
bottomless credit line and so can lend endless amounts of money; the
gravitational field can supply endless amounts of energy because its own
energy can become ever more negative.

Could someone explain that I bit further? Why and how is in the gravitational field an arbitrarily large amount of energy stored?

What about the potential energy of the two approaching particles, does it not decrease, while the kinetic energy increases?

Why does the same logic from above does not apply to the em, weak and strong force?

Greene says this arbitrary gravitational energy supplied the early universe the necessary energy to inflationary expand. How?

Where else does that 'endless energy feature' of gravity show up, especially when we try quantizing gravity?

thank you
 
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Since this is about gravity, why not ask it in the relativity forum?
 
  • #3
Bill_K said:
Since this is about gravity, why not ask it in the relativity forum?

Yeah, if some demigod of this forum would be so kind and send my thread there...

EDIT: I just post it there again by myself.
 
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FAQ: Exploring Gravity: How Does it Supply an Arbitrary Amount of Energy?

1. What is gravity and how does it supply energy?

Gravity is a fundamental force of nature that exists between any two objects with mass. It is responsible for keeping objects in orbit around larger bodies, such as planets around the sun. Gravity supplies energy through the process of gravitational potential energy, which is the energy an object has due to its position in a gravitational field.

2. How does gravity produce an arbitrary amount of energy?

Gravity produces an arbitrary amount of energy through the conversion of potential energy to kinetic energy. As an object falls towards a larger body due to gravity, its potential energy decreases and its kinetic energy increases. The amount of energy produced is determined by the mass and distance between the two objects.

3. How is the amount of energy produced by gravity calculated?

The amount of energy produced by gravity is calculated using the formula E = mgh, where E is the energy, m is the mass of the object, g is the acceleration due to gravity, and h is the height or distance the object falls. This formula can be used to calculate the amount of energy produced at any given point in the gravitational field.

4. Can gravity be harnessed as a source of energy?

While gravity itself cannot be harnessed as a source of energy, the energy produced by gravity can be utilized in various ways. For example, hydropower plants use the energy produced by gravity as water falls from a higher to lower elevation to generate electricity. However, the amount of energy that can be harnessed from gravity is limited by the strength of the gravitational field and the availability of objects with mass to interact with it.

5. How does Einstein's theory of relativity impact our understanding of gravity and energy?

Einstein's theory of relativity introduced the concept of spacetime, which describes how gravity is not just a force between objects with mass, but also a result of the curvature of spacetime caused by the presence of mass. This theory has greatly expanded our understanding of gravity and energy, and has been crucial in developing technologies such as GPS systems that rely on the precise calculations of gravitational forces.

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