HowItWorks!

ThePhysicsofGravity

(2ndedition)

2017RobertFalzmann
 HowItWorks!ThePhysicsofGravity

Thisarticleexplainsgravitywithoutinvokingimpossiblemechanismsof
actionsuchasthe"forceofattraction"orthe"distortionofspacetime".The
forceofattractionwasinventedtoexplainthedownwardaccelerationofmatter
towardthesurfaceofEarth.Butexperimentalobservationsshowthatthereisno
mechanicalforceactingonmatterinfreefall.Consequently,anotherideawas
proposedtoexplaintheforcefreeaccelerationduetogravity.Thisidea
supposesthatEarthdistortsthedimensionsofspaceandtime,whichthencauses
mattertomovealongcurvedlines.However,theideaofdistortingsomekindof
spacetimematrixispuremathematics.Spaceisrealinthephysicalsense.But
thedimensionsofspacearenothingmorethanabstractions:imaginarylinesthat
weusetomeasureposition,distance,area,andvolume.Timeisrealinthe
physicalsenseaswell.Butthedimensionoftimeisanotherabstraction:an
imaginarylinethatweusetomeasurechangeinthephysicalworld.The
dimensionsofspacehavenothingtodowiththatoftime.Andso,theforcefree
accelerationduetogravityrequiresanotherexplanation.

Theideaproposedinthisarticleexplainsgravityastheaccelerationof
spacethroughtheEarth.Thebasisforthisconceptualmodelistheatomic
theoryofmatterinwhichatomsarevoids,holes,orbubblesintheindivisible
mediumofspace.Asthesevoidsmovethroughspaceinonedirection,space
becomesdisplacedintheoppositedirection.WhenEarthmovesthroughspace,
however,theindivisiblemediumcanonlybedisplacedby"squeezing"itself
throughthecenteroftheEarth.Thisresultsinspaceacceleratingintoone
hemisphereanddeceleratingouttheother.Aninwardaccelerationofspacehas
thesameeffectonmatterasanoutwarddeceleration.Itisimportantto
understandthatspaceisnotamaterialmedium.Assuch,itdoesnothavemass
ordensity.Itdoesnotstretch,bend,ortwistlikeanelasticsolidorflow
likealiquid.ThegravitationalfieldaroundtheEarthisbestdescribedasa
"wave"propagatingthroughthemediumofspace.

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Thismodelrevealsthatathinlayerexistsbetweenthetwohemispheres
wherethegravityiszero.Debristendstoaccumulatealongthislayer,which
explainstheformationoftheplanetsinthesolarsystem,themoonsofJupiter,
andtheringsofSaturn.

Experimentalobservationsongravitysuggestthatspaceisnotthe
stationaryvoidthatitappearstobe.Thisisevidentinfallingobjectsthat
alsohaveahorizontalmotion,suchasaballrollingoffthetableedge.In
strobelightexperiments,theballappearstotaketwoindependentpathsthrough
spaceeventhoughit'snotpossiblefortheballtomoveintwodirectionsat
once.Toexplainthis,wecansupposethatspaceitselfisacceleratingdownward
takingtheballwithitwhiletheballitselfcontinuestomoveina
horizontaldirectionthroughspace.Theballonlyappearstobefallingthrough
spacealongacurvedpath.Theideathatspaceisnotstaticisalsoevidentin
thefactthatallobjectsfalltothegroundatthesametimeregardlessof
mass,size,weight,ordensity.Acannonballandfeatherdroppedinavacuum
fromthesameheightfalltothegroundinexactlythesametime.Again,wecan
explainthisbysupposingthatspaceitselfisacceleratingdownwardtaking
theobjectswithit.

Matterinmotionhastwootherinterestingproperties.Mattertendstomove
inastraightlineataconstantspeedunlessacteduponbyaforce.Matteralso
resistsanychangestoitsspeedordirection.Thisresistanceiscalled
inertia.Motioninastraightlineataconstantspeediscalledinertial
motion.Also,whentwoobjectshavethesameinertialmotions(i.e.thesame
speedanddirectioninspace)theyappeartobeatrestinspaceandnotmoving
atallwithrespecttooneanother.Forthisreason,inertialmotionissaidto
berelative.Butmotionitselfisnotrelative.Theactualspeedofmatter
throughspace,suchastherotationoftheEarth,canbedeterminedbymeasuring
thetimeittakeslighttotravelalongdifferentpaths.

Regardlessofsize,allobjectsmovingthroughspaceproduceagravitational
field.Thestrengthofthefieldisproportionaltothemassoftheobjectand
itsspeedthroughspace.GravityisreadilydetectablearoundtheSun,planets,
andmoonsbutnotaroundeverydayobjects.Nevertheless,allatomshavegravity.
Whenanatomisacceleratedtothespeedoflight,thegravitationalfield
aroundtheatomincreasesexponentiallyandthismanifestsitselfasanapparent
increaseinthemassorenergyoftheatom.

Furthermore,twoobjectsmovingclosetooneanotherwillproducea
gravitationalbondbycausingtheinterveningspacetobecomestretched(as
shownbelow).Itiscalleda"bond"becausethereareequalamountsof
attractionandrepulsion.Whentheinterveningspaceisstretched,the
gravitationalfieldlinesspreadoutandbecomeflattenedwhichresultsinan
unbalancedaccelerationofspacethroughtheobjects.Asaresult,theobjects
experienceanetforcetowardoneanother.Atthesametime,thestretchedout
interveningspaceiscontinuouslytryingtocontractcausingthespreadout
fieldlinestoreturntotheirnormalpositionswhichhastheeffectofpushing
thetwoobjectsawayfromoneanother.

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 HowItWorks!ThePhysicsofGravity

Thisbondingoccursnotonlybetweenstars,planets,andmoons,butalso
betweenatoms.Infact,thisbondingproducesthephenomenonoflight.When
matterisheatedtohightemperatures,atomsbegintomoveathighspeed.And
whenthetrajectoriesoftwoatomsintersect,thisformsabond.Butwhenthe
atomsbounceoffeachother,duetotheirhighimpactvelocities,the
interveningspacegetsevenmorestretchedout.Andwhentheatomsflyaway,the
stretchedoutspacenotonlypersistsinspacebutcontinuestomoveasafreely
propagatingwavethroughspace:alightwaveorphoton.Noticethatthephoton
hasadifferentshapethanagravitationalwave.

Allphysicalcontactbetweenobjectsproducesequalbutoppositeforces.
Theseequalbutoppositeforcesarenothingmorethanthegravitationalbonds
thatformbetweenatoms.Acceleratingoneobjectagainstanothercausesthe
gravitationalbondstoincrease.Matterinfreefalldoesnotexperienceany
force.However,whenitmakesphysicalcontactwiththesurfaceitexperiencesa
forcethatwecallweight.

Becausegravityisnotaforce,matterinfreefallhasinertialmotion.
Whenmatteristhrownupward,itonlyappearstoslowdown,stop,andfallback
down.Whatreallyhappensisthatmatterissetinmotioninertialmotion
andmovesawayfromtheEarthinastraightline.Itneverslowsdown.Itnever
stops.Itneverreversesdirection.Theappearanceisdueentirelytothe
downwardaccelerationofspace.

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 HowItWorks!ThePhysicsofGravity

Lightisawavethatpropagatesthroughspace.Aslightpassesthrougha
gravitationalfield,itgetsstretchedeversoslightly.Thisstretching
decreasesthefrequencyoflight.Thisisknownasaredshift.Aslighttravels
overvastdistancesandpassesthroughcountlessgravityfields,itaccumulates
manyredshiftsalongtheway.Tounderstandhowthisstretchingtakesplace,
consideralightwavethatpassesoveronehemisphereofastarwherespaceis
acceleratingdownwardintothebody.Aslightapproachesthestar,thespace
aheadofthelightisconstantlyacceleratingawayfromthelightandintothe
star.Thisaccelerationcausesthelightwavetostretch.Whenlightmovesaway
fromthestar,thespaceaheadofthelightisacceleratingprogressivelyless
towardthestar.Spacethenappearstobeacceleratingawayfromthelight
insteadoftowardit,whichagaincausesastretching.Thesameappliestolight
passingovertheotherhemispherewherespaceisdeceleratingoutfromthebody.

Agravitationalfieldalsobendslighteversoslightly.Whenlightis
directedatthecenterofagravitationalfield,thereisnochange.Butwhen
lightentersthefieldatanyotherangle,itbendsinwardtowardthecenter.
Becauselighttravelsfastandcoverslargedistancesinnotime,thereisonly
aslighteffect.Theinwardbendingoflightisevidentwhenobservinglight
fromnearbystarsinthepolarregionsofspace(asseenfromEarth).By
observingtheapparentpositionofapolarstaratdifferentintervals
throughouttheyear(duringthecourseofEarth'sorbit),thestarappearsto
makeacircleinthenightskyagainstthefixedbackgroundofmoredistant
starsandgalaxies.Thisisnotduetotheparallaxeffect,buthappensbecause
lightenterstheSun'sgravitationalfieldatanangleandbendsinward.The
slightbendingoflightdisplacesthestar'strueposition.Anothereffectis
createdbytherotationoftheSun.AsspaceisdisplacedthroughtheSun,the
inwardaccelerationofspacetwistsinonedirectionwhiletheoutward
decelerationofspaceuntwists.Thistwistinspaceisevidentinthefactthat
atelescopepointedatapolarstarmustalwaysbetiltedslightlytowardthe
directionoftheEarth'sorbitaroundtheSun(whichisthesamedirectionin
whichtheSunrotates).Thisphenomenonisknownastheaberrationofstarlight.

Thephysicalexplanationofgravity,asproposedinthisarticle,isbased
onaconceptualmodelthatattemptstofitobservationalfacts.Italsoexplains
seeminglyunrelatedphenomenonsuchasthenatureoflightwavesandmechanical
forces.Butitalsoraisesmorequestionsthanitanswers,suchaswhatisthe
natureofelectriccurrent,staticelectricity,andmagnetism.