gravity

Aug 21, 2012 22:14

as deanna says, her head explode ( Read more... )

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matthew August 22 2012, 23:06:28 UTC
If it helps you feel any better, Newton went to his grave not understanding gravity. He described it, but wasn't able to explain why it worked. I don't think that I've ever heard an explanation myself.

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crankygirlie August 23 2012, 00:33:24 UTC
I typed the same things without seeing your comment... only I used way more words. You probably win.

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crankygirlie August 23 2012, 00:32:35 UTC
Considering Newton never truly and fully worked it out, either (causes/how it worked with other forces/his discomfort with the implied action at a distance)? And that the general theory of relativity renders it effectively a fictitious force (since with Newton it's two bodies acting on one another and with Einstein it's thanks to our curvy space-time)? And doooon't even start talking about how gravity works when it comes to particle physics...! I would say it's hella difficult to explain.

But if you were gonna read any book on it, as a physicist, the best place to start would be the Principia, of course! There's also the awesome MIT Open Courseware materials you can search on all kinds of stuff, obviously including Newton's law of universal gravitation and Einstein's theory of relativity.

However, I am not even sure what level of explanation you would be looking for. As a physicist, are you seeking the mathematical proofs, or something more simplistic?

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