Have we figured out why gravity is as strong as it is? (or should i say weak)

[GrandMasterK]

Do we know why gravity emits x amount of force from a y amount of mass? I know we can figure out how much gravity from mass, but do we know why x amount of weight delivers y amount of gravity from a z distance?

 

Is there any situation where that can be different? how bout gas, can enough gas accumulate into an area to create gravity? Some people say we are all connected and some say nothing is connected and there are empty spaces between particles. So I'm assuming if we took trillions and trillions of humans and just put them close to each other that we'd combine our force and create a stronger gravity pull or...how does that work?

[Klaynos]

It is speculated that it's due to the higgs field...

 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Higgs_field

 

A single atom of gas will create the same gravity field/unit mass as something that is solid at room temperature.

 

Because gravity is always attractive if you get lots of atoms together they create a large gravitational force from a distance away from them, as the force felt is the sum of the force from each particle in the mass. So shuving lots of humans together, if you get enough to create a measureable gravaitational force in one area, it'll be the same as the sum of each of their forces at that same point...

 

There is space between atoms but this is not really due to gravity...

 

Gravity is not created, it just becomes measureable with larger masses, as it is very weak compared to forces such as EM.

[Bettina]

Do we know why gravity emits x amount of force from a y amount of mass? I know we can figure out how much gravity from mass' date=' but do we know why x amount of weight delivers y amount of gravity from a z distance?

 

Is there any situation where that can be different? how bout gas, can enough gas accumulate into an area to create gravity? Some people say we are all connected and some say nothing is connected and there are empty spaces between particles. So I'm assuming if we took trillions and trillions of humans and just put them close to each other that we'd combine our force and create a stronger gravity pull or...how does that work?[/quote']

 

Check here for some interesting ideas. She is my favorite.

 

http://www.nytimes.com/2005/11/01/science/01prof.html?ex=1288501200&en=ed5ab9e60453cebb&ei=5090

 

Bee

[ecoli]

In a part of theoretical physics, it's speculated that gravity is leaking into an alternate universe.

[timo]

Do we know why gravity emits x amount of force from a y amount of mass? I know we can figure out how much gravity from mass, but do we know why x amount of weight delivers y amount of gravity from a z distance?

I am not completely sure how to interpret your question. You mean "why?" in what sense? In the sense that the answer is something like "little green gremlins that feed on mass pull other mass closer to feed their hunger"?

 

Physics boils down to being able to calculate processes not to give explanation in above sense. So mathematical descriptions are all that you get in physics. My standpoint is that more than that is even impossible to obtain for I think that human understanding of "this is how it works" cannot go beyond the "this model works"-level. By that I mean that if you have two completely different explanations for every possible experiment which both give correct predictions on the outcome you cannot tell which explanation is the correct one. In fact, I personally go as far as to consider things like force, potential, ... to be human-made terms, not reality.

 

Is there any situation where that can be different? how bout gas, can enough gas accumulate into an area to create gravity?

Of course but that´s completely normal. Gas has mass.

 

Some people say we are all connected and some say nothing is connected and there are empty spaces between particles.

???

 

So I'm assuming if we took trillions and trillions of humans and just put them close to each other that we'd combine our force and create a stronger gravity pull or...how does that work?

The force F exerted on a mass M at position x from a set of humans, each with mass m_i, at positions p_i is [math] \vec F(\vec x) = \sum_i \vec F_i(\vec x) [/math], where [math]\vec F_i(\vec x) = G \frac{M m_i}{\| \vec x - \vec p_i \|^3} (\vec p_i - \vec x) [/math] is the force exerted by human number i.

 

Disclaimer: Above reply is about classical newtonian gravity. There are conceptual deviations in relativity but I had the feeling that newtonian gravity is more than enough here.

[Kyle]

By that I mean that if you have two completely different explanations for every possible experiment which both give correct predictions on the outcome you cannot tell which explanation is the correct one.

Actually as long as both explinations/mathmatical modles have equal predictive capability the simplest explination is prefered.

Also let me add that I'm not kyle I'm just posting on his account and his key board is a different configuration so please excuse any and all spelling mistakes.

[swansont]

Also let me add that I'm not kyle I'm just posting on his account and his key board is a different configuration so please excuse any and all spelling mistakes.

 

You should register, in order to avoid confusion.

[timo]

Actually as long as both explinations/mathmatical modles have equal predictive capability the simplest explination is prefered.

That was more or less my point. In the given context you cannot tell whether one model is more correct than the other so you´re just practical and take the easiest one.

[alan2here]

Do we say graverty is week because we compare it with other forces?

 

A magnet can pick up a paperclip and win out againsed the force of the whole planet at lifting that paperclip up with magnatism (as the whole earth tries to pull it down with graverty and fails)

 

So we think "wow magnatism is strong and graverty is not"

 

However the magnet is a heavely optimised structure, wheras the earth is just a whole load of unopimised rock.

 

A piece of a black hole may have a comparable force to a strong neodymium magnet of the same size. both are highly optimised one for a stong gravermetric force and one for stong magnetic force.

 

Sorry, If im totaly wrong, Its just as I understand it at the moment.