- #1
bill alsept
- 124
- 0
How does gravity work? This seems to be one of the most often asked questions and one that has consumed many people. It appears no one really knows and no one is saying. Einstein, Newton and many other ingénues minds have offered formulas and analogies that beautifully calculate or predict what gravity will do but none of them describes how it works. I don’t know if I’m more surprised of that or that no one is still offering a description.
Relativity says gravity is the curving of space-time by any object that has mass. The analogy of a rubber sheet being stretched by a heavy object is a nice one-dimensional visual of what gravity may look like but it does not explain how it works. The analogy is even confusing to some non scientific people who believe we know how gravity works. Gravity is always described as a pulling force. One of the newer hypotheses has something called gravitons which are really the same thing but again not explaining how gravity works just putting the question off another step. For more than eighty years we have collected data and asked the same questions and still no answers. Maybe were asking the wrong questions or putting too much faith in the same old models.
How gravity works should be one of the most important questions. When we solve that mystery it will answer so many questions in science, engineering, biology and especially cosmology. I’m sure life as we know it will change dramatically after that. Changes like the way we travel on Earth or in space will lead to even more discoveries. Knowing how gravity really works should go a long way in answering many of the questions we have in cosmology.
I am new to Physics Forum and cosmology for that matter. Like many of you I too am totally fascinated with cosmology. I enjoy reading the intelligent and well thought postings. It’s nice to be able to ask questions and right away get many answers, descriptions and great discussions.
My background is in mechanical engineering but in the last two years I have read a lot on cosmology and the history behind it. I am a fast learner and can usually reason my way through things at least with the information I have. That being said I still can’t get past this issue with gravity. I few weeks ago we had a thread going where the subject of kinetic gravity came up. I was a little surprised at the negative reaction to it and if no one wants to discuss it I promise I will not bring the K word up again. At the time I did not know that the subject of kinetic gravity was banned from this forum.
I’m not sure why there was such a quick and almost dogmatic rejection of the subject. It being the only theory in the last 265 years that has attempted to explain how gravity works physically. The standard theories which also have many problems hardly even try to physically explain gravity and when they do there’s always some mysterious element, force or set of circumstances that needs to be injected.
Kinetic gravity does not have half the problems that standard gravity has. If nothing else kinetic gravity is great for modeling ideas and allows you to see things in reverse. It’s also great for brainstorming and I was wondering if there could be some place in the forum to discuss different or new ideas. I understand that you need to keep a handle on the nontraditional science theories but any discussions on “how gravity really works” I think would be important even if some don’t agree. Especially when it's the only idea being proposed. I love reading this forum and do not wish to be banned for bringing up good subjects like this. Maybe there could be some closet area you could hide us in. At least until the conversation has finished. Thanks
Relativity says gravity is the curving of space-time by any object that has mass. The analogy of a rubber sheet being stretched by a heavy object is a nice one-dimensional visual of what gravity may look like but it does not explain how it works. The analogy is even confusing to some non scientific people who believe we know how gravity works. Gravity is always described as a pulling force. One of the newer hypotheses has something called gravitons which are really the same thing but again not explaining how gravity works just putting the question off another step. For more than eighty years we have collected data and asked the same questions and still no answers. Maybe were asking the wrong questions or putting too much faith in the same old models.
How gravity works should be one of the most important questions. When we solve that mystery it will answer so many questions in science, engineering, biology and especially cosmology. I’m sure life as we know it will change dramatically after that. Changes like the way we travel on Earth or in space will lead to even more discoveries. Knowing how gravity really works should go a long way in answering many of the questions we have in cosmology.
I am new to Physics Forum and cosmology for that matter. Like many of you I too am totally fascinated with cosmology. I enjoy reading the intelligent and well thought postings. It’s nice to be able to ask questions and right away get many answers, descriptions and great discussions.
My background is in mechanical engineering but in the last two years I have read a lot on cosmology and the history behind it. I am a fast learner and can usually reason my way through things at least with the information I have. That being said I still can’t get past this issue with gravity. I few weeks ago we had a thread going where the subject of kinetic gravity came up. I was a little surprised at the negative reaction to it and if no one wants to discuss it I promise I will not bring the K word up again. At the time I did not know that the subject of kinetic gravity was banned from this forum.
I’m not sure why there was such a quick and almost dogmatic rejection of the subject. It being the only theory in the last 265 years that has attempted to explain how gravity works physically. The standard theories which also have many problems hardly even try to physically explain gravity and when they do there’s always some mysterious element, force or set of circumstances that needs to be injected.
Kinetic gravity does not have half the problems that standard gravity has. If nothing else kinetic gravity is great for modeling ideas and allows you to see things in reverse. It’s also great for brainstorming and I was wondering if there could be some place in the forum to discuss different or new ideas. I understand that you need to keep a handle on the nontraditional science theories but any discussions on “how gravity really works” I think would be important even if some don’t agree. Especially when it's the only idea being proposed. I love reading this forum and do not wish to be banned for bringing up good subjects like this. Maybe there could be some closet area you could hide us in. At least until the conversation has finished. Thanks