How Things Work: A Brief History of Reality
BOOK II: The Power of Three – "#67. The Mystery of Gravity"
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Tuesday, January 24, 2023
“The apple does fall but the earth never falls, the beauty of gravity”
– P.S. Jagadeesh Kumar
PREFACE
Welcome Everybody!
The practical results and scientific applications generated from Newton’s Universal Law of Gravity were so overwhelming that many of its discrepancies as an “empirical” scientific theory were overlooked. According to Newton’s interpretation, the “effects” of gravity would require gravity to “move” faster than the speed of light. It was possible for modern science to ignore this fact, until Einstein’s Special Theory of Relativity.
“Newton’s theory of gravity and Einstein’s theory of Special Relativity were incompatible.”
One of the key revelations of Einstein’s first relativity theory is that nothing in the universe could exceed the speed of light. For Newton’s theory of gravity to work, gravity would have to exceed that inherent limitation. Therefore, Newton’s theory of gravity and Einstein’s theory of Special Relativity were incompatible. Newton, or classical physics, and Einstein, or quantum physics, had come to a crossroads.
“Whatever this force Newton called gravity was, it appeared to be real…”
However, Newton’s understanding of the “effects of gravity” could not be ignored. Whatever this force Newton called gravity was, it appeared to be real, and universal. Einstein would define its reality; and redefine ours.
CONSIDERATION #67 – The Mystery of Gravity
Newton’s greatest insight wasn’t discovering the force of gravity, his real insight was recognizing that it was a constant force throughout the universe. Gravity is universal. All objects attract each other with the force of gravity. It is a universal force that is directly related to the mass (think weight) of the objects. This 1687 theory of gravity successfully explained the moon’s orbit around the earth and virtually all other problems related to the universe we knew at the time. It even explained the tides. It yielded such accurate results and predictions that there would have been no need to ever consider questioning it except for one thing: it didn’t explain how gravity worked.
“Newton’s gravity was basically an assumed force which was ‘some kind’ of a ‘pulling force’…”
Essentially, Newton had produced an astonishing theory related to gravity, and gravitational effects, without ever explaining the actual mechanism that made it possible. Newton’s gravity was basically an assumed force which was “some kind” of a “pulling force” with no hypothesis, explanation, or mathematical truth to support it. Not only did this unexplained mechanism somehow work to attract objects to each other, it occurred instantaneously for both objects, even across vast distances of empty space.
For this, “action at a distance” to happen over such long distances, gravity would have to move faster than the speed of light. However, because of the amazing effectiveness and efficiency of Newton’s theory this “minor” problem was essentially overlooked or ignored. Until Einstein’s Theory of Special Relativity.
“Like his Special Theory of Relativity, Einstein’s General Theory of Relativity would transform how we came to see the universe…”
After publishing the Theory of Special Relativity, which among other things established that nothing could travel faster than the speed of light, Einstein began considering the problem of gravity. Particularly the paradox of what he called “Spooky action at a distance.” Like his Special Theory of Relativity, Einstein’s General Theory of Relativity would transform how we came to see the universe and redefine our understanding of How Things Work.
POSTSCRIPT
Whether destiny, irony, or providence, the problems related to gravity were directly connected to the problems related to Special Relativity. Making Einstein the perfect scientist to unify these two seemingly unrelated and incongruent paradoxes. To fill the holes in Special Relativity, Einstein would have to confront, and overcome, the issues related to gravity that had evaded perhaps the most influential and iconic mind of classical physics, Isaac Newton.
“The transition to a new ‘Quantum Foundation’ was incumbent upon discovering the mystery of gravity.”
However, the Reality that Einstein was revealing was a much different reality than Newton’s; Special Relativity had already fractured the foundation of classical physics. The transition to a new “Quantum Foundation” was incumbent upon discovering the mystery of gravity. The key to that discovery was a realization that gravity was the third aspect of Reality interacting with Time and Space to manifest the universe. The third, and final, aspect of a new “Quantum Trilogy” in the new modern science of quantum mechanics. Three aspects of Reality, separate yet equal, independent yet interdependent; manifesting the physical universe.
Next week, Einstein’s solution to the problem Isaac Newton could not solve…
Expand the Conversation by Upgrading to “Reality by a Thread!”
Excerpt from Tomorrow’s Untangling the Knots of Reality – Podcast #33: "Untangling the Age of Reason & the Birth of a New Nation"
This Week on “The Thread”:
•Untangling the Knots of Reality Podcast: #33 "Untangling the Age of Reason & the Birth of a New Nation" (“Descartes had begun a major shift away from Aristotle’s certainties with the consideration that all individuals had reason and should therefore examine problems for themselves, rather than relying on traditional authority. Reason, supported by evidence, became the bridge between rationalists and empiricists. In the Western world, seeds for a New Enlightenment were being sown, hoping to bear the fruits of Liberty, Science, Reason, Progress, and Tolerance. Here is how it works…” )
•Reality by a Thread Discussion Thread: Previewing Book V (Political Parties - 3) “The short, simple, and non-esoteric answer to that question is an evolving imbalance between Rationalism and Empiricism that has now reached a point of crisis in our current reality. Unlike the previous examples of duality, both Rationalism and Empiricism are necessary for the experience of human reality; we cannot “be” one or the other, we “are” a combination of both. Balance cannot be gained by “eliminating” the other “possibility.” Reality as we experience and understand it, could not be maintained without both factors of reality. Rationalism and Empiricism “need” each other to produce what we experience as the universe, or reality. Neither can be eliminated....”)
•FREE PDF Download of Book IV: “The Cosmic Symphony – Overtones of String Theory” plus other Free Books, Discounts and Benefits.
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