How Things Work: A Brief History of Reality
BOOK II: The Power of Three – "#66. Newton's Universal Law of Gravity"
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Tuesday, January 17, 2023
“You sometimes speak of gravity as essential & inherent to matter: pray do not ascribe that notion to me, for ye cause of gravity is what I do not pretend to know, & therefore would take more time to consider of it….
Gravity must be caused by an agent [acting] consta[ntl]y according to certain laws, but whether this agent be material or immaterial is a question I have left to the consideration of my readers.”
– Isaac Newton
PREFACE
Welcome Everybody!
Much like the contemporary explanation of Reality called “String Theory,” Newton’s “Law of Gravity” was really more of a “rational explanation” as opposed to an empirical scientific proof or conclusion. A wonderfully beautiful rational abstraction that explained Reality in a way that seemed practical and elegant in its interpretation. It worked so well in the application of classical physics that scientists wasted no time or effort seriously questioning it, until the advent of quantum mechanics.
“Einstein sought to understand more about gravity, other than that ‘it’ just existed and had a quantifiable effect on the physical universe…”
Once the focus of modern science shifted to the sub-atomic reality of “quantum events” Newton’s beautiful and efficient rationalizations regarding gravity became vulnerable to the new Quantum Reality. Einstein sought to understand more about gravity, other than that “it” just existed and had a quantifiable effect on the physical universe; he was committed to understanding what it was, how it worked, and why it affected physical objects in the universe the way it did. Einstein was determined to penetrate the mystery of this enigmatic force of nature. His ruminations regarding the nature of gravity eventually resulted in his General Theory of Relativity.
CONSIDERATION #66 – Newton’s Universal Law of Gravity
Like Einstein, Newton also used thought experiments to expand various concepts and ideas related to physics. Consider the following thought experiment related to gravity. While it is unlikely that Newton was actually “hit on the head” by an apple giving him the idea for gravity, it is true that Newton observed apples falling from trees.
“Newton reasoned that there must be some kind of force acting on the apple to influence this acceleration of motion.”
He noticed that the downward motion of the apple accelerated, increasing from zero velocity when it was hanging on the tree. Newton reasoned that there must be some kind of force acting on the apple to influence this acceleration of motion. Something caused the apple to fall. Newton called this unknown force gravity and the acceleration associated with it “acceleration due to gravity.”
“Maybe it was gravity that kept the moon in orbit around the earth?”
Newton continued the thought experiment by considering a tree twice as tall. Apples would still fall from the tree and hit the ground. A taller tree would not change this phenomenon. Therefore, the force of gravity reaches at least to the top of the tallest tree. This is when Newton’s genius brings him to the next conclusion: If the force of gravity could reach to the top of tall trees, maybe it could keep going, even beyond the planet. Maybe it was gravity that kept the moon in orbit around the earth?
“Newton determined that the effect of gravity was directly proportional to the mass of the earth, the mass of the other object, and the square of the distance between them.”
Newton understood that a force, which he called gravity, was related to the mass of the apple and also the mass of the earth. Newton’s third law states that the same force causing the apple’s downward acceleration also causes the earth’s upward acceleration. Therefore, that force, gravity, is also related to the mass of the earth. Newton determined that the effect of gravity was directly proportional to the mass of the earth, the mass of the other object, and the square of the distance between them. Newton determined that, like light, gravity was a “constant” force acting consistently under all conditions and circumstances throughout the entire universe.
NEWTON’S UNIVERSAL LAW OF GRAVITY:
Fg = G m1m2 /r2
Fg is the gravitational force
m1 and m2 are the masses of the two objects
r is the separation between the objects
G is the universal gravitational constant
Every object in the Universe attracts every other object with a force directed along the line of centers for the two objects that is proportional to the product of their masses and inversely proportional to the square of the separation between the two objects.
– Isaac Newton
To a great extent, Newton’s simple rational explanation for an aspect of Reality he called “gravity” made it possible for classical science to flourish; eventually leading to entirely new scientific considerations about the nature of Reality and the universe. Imagine Einstein’s surprise when he discovered that Newton didn’t have a clue how gravity worked.
POSTSCRIPT
Isaac Newton recognized and identified a force of nature that appeared to attract “physical bodies” to each other that he called “gravity.” He successfully explained and quantified the “effects” of gravity; however, he was unable to determine how it worked, or why it worked the way it did. Answering these questions became Einstein’s new obsession.
Next week we consider the problem with Newton’s Universal Law of Gravity and how it leads to what Einstein called “Spooky Action at a Distance.”
Expand the Conversation by Upgrading to “Reality by a Thread!”
Excerpt from Tomorrow’s Untangling the Knots of Reality – Podcast #32: "Untangling the Founding of America"
This Week on “The Thread”:
•Untangling the Knots of Reality: #32 "Untangling the Founding of America" (“The question as to whether the nation was founded on liberty, or whether the nation was founded on slavery, has bitterly divided the country. If a house divided against itself cannot stand, it becomes consequential to find a real answer to this question. In my book, Being American: A Primer for All Parties & Persuasions, this is one of the key issues that is addressed. Much of the next section of our discussion will utilize excerpts from that book, and we will later in this series publish a three-part podcast on the consequences of slavery in America. If I could condense the “material truth” of America’s founding into only one concise sentence it would be this: The United States was NOT founded on slavery, however, it was founded WITH slavery. There is a lot to unpack in this seemingly simple sentence.…” )
•Reality by a Thread (Discussion Thread): Previewing Book V – Political Parties Part-2 (“Human beings represent more than just a simple “political” identity, they represent a unity of rationalism and empiricism that becomes manifested through political thought and action. No one needs to change their political views or political party; however, everyone should occasionally question their political views and their political party in addition to considering what the other party has to say. Not based on political partisanship; but based on a balance between Rationalism and Empiricism...”)
•FREE PDF Download of Book IV: “The Cosmic Symphony – Overtones of String Theory” plus other Free Books, Discounts and Benefits!
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