Gravity Virgins

ORAL

Abstract

As an exercise in imagining a first encounter with gravity, let's begin with the barest gravitational circumstance. On a planet-sized spherical mass we find rigid poles extending to astronomical distances. At regular intervals along each pole there are Instrument Stations containing a clock, an accelerometer and light senders and receivers. Now imagine a civilization (the RC's) that has evolved in a huge self-sustaining Rotating Cylinder far removed from the sphere or any other astronomical body. The RC's are totally ignorant of gravity but understand well light propagation and the effect of motion on clocks, lengths, etc. Motion is sacred to the RC's because they know they'd die if their cylinder stopped rotating. Their clocks are synchronized so as to reflect the anisotropy of light sent in opposite directions along the cylinder's wall. When they set out to explore the Universe, they come upon the top of one of our tall poles. The RC's inspect the instruments, take data and leave their rocket off except when, in the nick of time, they turn it back on to navigate a soft landing. In their attempt to make sense of their experience, will they prefer a hypothesis resembling General Relativity or a hypothesis more like the one found at GravitationLab.com?

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Authors

  • Ernest Henley

    Green River College, University of British Columbia, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, BYU-Idaho Dept. of Physics, University of Washington, Applied Physics Technologies, Inc., Montana State University, Universidade Estadual de Campinas, Southern Oregon University, Oregon State University Department of Physics, Oregon State University Department of Chemistry, National Institute of Standards and Technology Center for Neutron Research, Physics Department, Oregon State University, University of Idaho, University of Wyoming, Department of Physics, Montana State University, University of Portland, Idaho State University, WWU, Advanced Light Source, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Oregon Center for Optics and Department of Physics, University of Oregon, Lewis and Clark, Queen's University, University of Notre Dame, Idaho National Lab, TRIUMF, RCNP, Japan, University of Guelph, Mexico University, St. Mary's University, University of Montreal, Deep River, Dept. of Physics; Montana State University, Dept. of Plant Sciences and Pathology, Dept. of Chem. and Biochem.; Montana State University, Department of Physics, Shandong University, P. R. China, Department of Physics, University of Idaho, USA, Dept. of Physics, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, BC V5A 1S6 Canada, University of Calgary