All Questions
70
questions
8
votes
5
answers
1k
views
Do you always experience the gravitational influence of other mass as you see them in your frame?
You see a galaxy far away. That galaxy is attracting you with a certain amount of gravity. I'm wondering if the gravity influence of the galaxy on you, as measured by you, always ends up being what ...
- 171
3
votes
2
answers
86
views
Tug of war between observers in frames with different rate of time
You have a very dense hollow sphere of matter. Observer A is inside the sphere inside a rocket. Observer B is in an identical rocket outside the sphere where the ring's gravity is negligible. They are ...
- 171
3
votes
2
answers
84
views
How is it that energy of matter yields gravity if the amount of energy in a system is frame dependent while the force caused by gravity is not?
I've been told that the gravitational field arises due to the energy density terms in the stress-energy tensor of matter and therefore that all energy of matter exerts a gravitational field effect, ...
- 531
4
votes
5
answers
260
views
How is Gravity, assuming only General Relativity, *not* like Centrifugal Force?
It is common to state that "Gravity is not a force" due to its interpretation as a curvature effect in general relativity. By this, is it right to say that gravity is a fictitious force due ...
0
votes
0
answers
28
views
When we are on the ground do we still accelerate with 9.8 m/s²? [duplicate]
Do we accelerate with 9.8 m/s² when we are on the ground , if so why we do not fall inside the eart . How is the net force is zero , how many real forces acts on the body ?
- 1
-2
votes
1
answer
139
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If time moves slower the faster you go. Doesn't that mean that the gravity experienced will be lower too?
Disclaimer: I still don't understand the theory of general relativity. I'm completely ignorant.
I was watching the movie Interstellar yesterday and saw their interpretation of time dilation, I also ...
- 127
2
votes
2
answers
2k
views
What kind of coordinate change is needed to make gravity disappear?
I understand that the Christoffel symbols associated with the metric will vanish locally once you perform the appropiate change of coordinates. These new coordinates correspond to an observer in free-...
- 391
2
votes
2
answers
102
views
More on frames of reference and coordinates in GR
I have read other questions concerning this subject, and by now I believe that in order to solve a gravitational problem in GR, one has to basically abandon the notion of frames of reference. However, ...
- 307
25
votes
4
answers
7k
views
If gravity is not a force, then how come gravitational assists work?
I have learned about general relativity and how gravity arises from spacetime curvature. And I have always been taught that gravity is not a real force in the sense that
$$\frac{dp}{dt} = 0$$
And from ...
- 1,896
0
votes
1
answer
77
views
Defining acceleration in gravity-free space
Without information from outside a closed spaceship, an astronaut cannot distinguish A from B.
A) In gravity-free space, the floor accelerates upwards at $a=g$ and hits a dropped watch.
B) On earth's ...
- 65
1
vote
3
answers
165
views
Does Mach's principle imply that the gravitational field has a non-zero curl?
I would normally visualize the gravitational field as "radial", i.e., one whose curl is zero. However, while thinking about Mach's principle, particularly the notion of frame-dragging (as ...
- 1,325
2
votes
2
answers
213
views
Why are there so many fundamental differences between contact forces and gravity?
I had this very fruitful conversation about the inertial motion of charged particles on gravitational/electric fields.
A field force like gravity, can't be felt, it does not produce proper ...
- 350
2
votes
1
answer
197
views
Does an accelerated frame of reference have the same effect as that of mass in space time
According to the equivalence principle, gravity and inertial forces are similar. And according to general Relativity, If there’s a large object in space-time, it warps the space time’s geometry and ...
- 131
0
votes
2
answers
329
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Earth as inertial reference frame: finite radius effects
In a recent question I tried to clarify under what conditions the Earth can be considered as an inertial reference frame. The opinions, summarized in my own answer to the cited question, are that
...
- 60.3k
10
votes
9
answers
4k
views
Why and when can the Earth be considered an inertial reference frame?
The question has been asked (e.g., here and here), but I would like to get a more definitive and mathematically formal answer.
The Earth rotates around its axis, around the Sun, and participates in ...
- 60.3k