[lbo-talk] Evolutionary theory/Gravitation

Matt lbo3 at beyondzero.net
Fri Dec 23 08:52:08 PST 2005


On Fri, Dec 23, 2005 at 08:12:27AM -0800, Chris Doss wrote:
>
> --- Matt <lbo3 at beyondzero.net> wrote:
> >
> > Yes, the dynamic nature of space-time and gravity as
> > the manifestation
> > of the curving effects of matter is the explanation
> > of the "mechanism"
> > as given by General Relativity. It works very very
> > well; in other
> > words the mathematical predictions have been
> > experimentally confirmed.
>
> That's not a mechanism -- that's an improved
> predictive model. The question is "why does matter
> cause space to 'curve'?", i.e., "why is there
> gravity?", "why does matter have this occult
> property?"
>
> It has been 10 years since I read Einstein's
> for-the-layman book on SR and GR, but if I recollect
> correctly (a big if) no such explanation is given.

The answer to the question of why matter causes spame-time to curve is where we must look to new theories that will unify Quantum Mechanics - which models the behavior of the sub-atomic particles and the fields affecting those particles - and macroscopic theories like GR. We have string theory; quantum units of gravity, such as a graviton; quantum loop gravity - attempting to model gravity as a fundamental force consistent with the other forces modeled by QM.

Matt

-- PGP RSA Key ID: 0x1F6A4471 aim: beyondzero123 PGP DH/DSS Key ID: 0xAFF35DF2 icq: 120941588 http://blogdayafternoon.com yahoo msg: beyondzero123

Let me close by telling you what I hope to get out of the national dialogue that these committees are fostering. I am not really helped by being reminded that I need more Arabic linguists or by someone second-guessing an obscure intercept sitting in our files that may make more sense today than it did two years ago. What I really need you to do is to talk to your constituents and find out where the American people want that line between security and liberty to be.

-NSA Director Michael Hayden, statement before Congress



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