Gravity Hypothesis

[Raxsus]

Could gravity just be electromagnetic fields?

 

Things we observe on a smaller level (static cling, polarity in magnets, etc) seem to show that the flat shape of our solar system is shaped more by the electromagnetic field of the sun while the sensation of gravity just seems to be one object static clinging to a much larger one (an apple falling towards a planet).

 

Just a thought though.

[Strange]

 

Could gravity just be electromagnetic fields?

 

This comes up fairly regularly. The answer is no, for a variety of reasons:

• Gravity acts on things which have no electric charge.
• Electric fields attract and repel; gravity only attracts.
• We can shield electric fields but not gravity.
• Force due to electric field follows an inverse square law. This is only approximetly true for gravity.
• Etc.

 

Things we observe on a smaller level (static cling, polarity in magnets, etc) seem to show that the flat shape of our solar system is shaped more by the electromagnetic field of the sun

 

I don't think so.

[ajb]

Could gravity just be electromagnetic fields?

No...

 

Have a think about the weak equivalence principal and electric charge.

[Janus]

Strange has already brought up the fact that electric fields both attract and repel, but the other important fact is that with electric fields, it is opposites that attract. Thus for the Earth to be attracted to the Sun, the Earth would have to have an opposite charge from the Sun. The Moon is attracted to the Earth, so it would also have to have an opposite charge to the Earth, giving it the same sign of charge as the Sun. This would mean that the Sun and Moon would repel each other. But the orbit of the Moon around the Earth shows that the Sun and Moon are attracted to each other.

The same goes for the probes we launch into space. They have weight on the Earth and thus would have to have a charge opposite that of the Earth, but when we send them to other planets, their trajectory follows that of something attracted to the Sun rather than repelled, as they would if gravity were electromagnetic in nature.

[geordief]

Is there anything in the idea (hope "idea" is not too grandiose ) that

 

1: mass/energy and space (or space-time?) are 2 sides of the same thing

 

2: The thing that is the amalgam just posited is a conserved quantity and so as mass/energy decreases space increases (and vice versa)

 

3: this shows up as curvature of spacetime

 

Is that "idea" worth pursuing? Is it obviously wrong ? Is it obviously unuseful?

Edited July 25, 2016 by geordief

[swansont]

Is there anything in the idea (hope "idea" is not too grandiose ) that

 

1: mass/energy and space (or space-time?) are 2 sides of the same thing

 

2: The thing that is the amalgam just posited is a conserved quantity and so as mass/energy decreases space increases (and vice versa)

 

3: this shows up as curvature of spacetime

 

Is that "idea" worth pursuing? Is it obviously wrong ? Is it obviously unuseful?

 

 

!

Moderator Note

This topic is about the possibility of gravity really being electrical/magnetic. If you have a different topic to discuss, please open a new thread.

[Raxsus]

Okay. I'll research gravity a bit more.

[Ivanov2000]

Gravity has one 'charge', mass

 

EM has two, + and -

 

Strong has 3 colors

 

 

I'm not sure if this pattern means something.