First i'll start off by saying i'm a simpleton. So if anyone who comes into this thread and starts speaking numbers and equasions i will be dumbfounded. My interest in this subject started at around 2am in the morning when i should have been asleep but instead was sitting on my couch watching PBS. One of the (IMO) greatest documenteries i have ever seen came on. http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/elegant/everything.html That is what it was. Here's what i posted in another topic about the matter.. "know it's off topic, but if anyone is interested in String Theory http://superstringtheory.com/ . Veeeeeeeeery interesting. Just sad that it will probably never be proved or disproved, due to the nature of it. It makes complete sense and answers simple questions like, if the sun were to suddenly dissapear, how can it be thought that gravity would suddenly "let go", and the planets would go flying off when, according to Einstein, nothing travels faster then the speed of light. So how can the force of gravity let go of the earth before light could even get from the Sun to Earth? How i ask?!? HOW!!??!! LOL." Now in response to retro78. Gravity is acutally one of the weaker forces. Electromagnitism will trump it almost all of the time. An example of this is someone jumping off a building. Gravity will pull you down and feel strong. But once it's power comes up against the force of electromagnatism holding the atoms of the ground together, it's powerless. Seriously though, this documentary http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/elegant/everything.html is is definatly something, i think, everyone should watch.
malcdogg,well 'course you're right, it is the weakest of the 4 forces. (what was i thinking) but because of the fact that there is no negative mass, there will only be attraction no repulsion, and therefor is gravity is dominant, concerning big masses.and is concidred having the most causal effect forming the universe and of its evolution. according to einstein gravity is a geometric function of a 4 dimensional spacetime. ps. i live in Holland, i don't have pbs
Concerning big masses no one can argue. But the whole point of a unified field theory, is to unify, the theory of how the universe functions on a smaller level (Atoms, quarks), and how it operates on a larger level (planets, black holes). It what Einstien was searching for when he died. I don't consider Einstein's theories the be all, end all, of physics. In fact i won't go so far as to say Einstien is wrong outright, but his theories are proven flawed. An example of this is what i posed above. What if the sun suddenly dissapears? General Relativity says that light (in the vaccum of space) is the fastest thing in the universe. But it still takes about 8 mins to get from the Sun to Earth. Yet, Newtons laws would say that if the sun WERE to suddenly dissapear, Earth and all the planets would, instantly, be released by the power of its gravity. Thus, the quest to UNIFY, all the contridicting theories of physics. because Einstiens theories DON'T explain everything.
What i'm hoping for here is someone who actually knows what they're talking about (not me for sure) to actually come here and discuss this. I like to learn. It's fun.
No PBS? Too bad but read the book. The Elegant Universe: Superstrings, Hidden Dimensions, and the Quest for the Ultimate Theory by Brian Greene (Author) Edit > Light is it a wave or particle. It acts like both, but if it is a wave it has to travel through a media. That is why once upon a time they invented the ether.
Ahh, someone else familiar with The Elegant Universe. I really think everyone should either see the documentary or read the book. It all sounds complicated but Brian Greene is one of the best teachers i've ever seen. He explains the whole thing in simple, easy to understand ways. Yet gets the full point across.
in the sun situation, maybe we are looking at gravity in the wrong way. yes nothing can travel faster than light, but the lack of a force and it's effect can be felt instantly across an infinite space. imagine a swimming pool 1 light year across. on one side a rope is tied to the pool and almost at the other end a swimmer is tied to the rope. the rope obviously standing in for gravity. if the swimmer,meaning planet, is constantly trying to swim against the rope as in the planets inertia wanting to keep it moving in a straight line versus orbiting, and you cut the rope, the swimmer will instantly start to swim away, though he won't even be able to see the rope being cut for a year from that position(and let's not get into the uncertainty principle on that last part lol)
Very interesting. Good to see people actually talking about this! Very good example. And that helps explain the need for a unified theory. Because acording to Einstien NOTHING is faster then the speed of light. Not even sudden lack of force.
Newton’s laws in no way explain gravity. It is just an empirical formula to explain the effects of gravity. Gravity would not instantly disappear since mass can not instantly disappear. Unless it was converted to energy, but what would happen to gravity is unknown. To recreate this in an experiment, you would have to have a large enough mass to exert a force that could be measured. Then convert the mass to energy. At mass times the speed of light squared, I for one would not be any where in the vicinity.
This is all very confusing to me, I thought the 'Unified Field Theory' was 2 farmers sharing the same land. We live and learn.
einstein only said that nothing can TRAVEL faster than the speed of light. lack of a force doesn't really travel.
