Is Gravity Our Ally or Our Enemy?

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Discussion Overview

The discussion revolves around the nature of gravity, exploring whether it is beneficial or detrimental. Participants engage in a mix of theoretical and humorous perspectives, touching on its implications for existence, daily life, and even entertainment, while also debating the pros and cons of gravity in various contexts.

Discussion Character

  • Debate/contested
  • Exploratory
  • Conceptual clarification
  • Humorous

Main Points Raised

  • Some participants argue that gravity is fundamentally good, as it is essential for the existence of the universe and life as we know it.
  • Others express that gravity has negative aspects, such as causing pain when falling or being a hindrance to certain activities.
  • A few participants humorously suggest that without gravity, life would be more enjoyable, despite the potential dangers of floating in space.
  • Some contributions highlight the paradox of needing gravity for stability while also wishing for the freedom of weightlessness.
  • There are claims that gravity is intertwined with other fundamental forces and interactions, suggesting that without it, many aspects of existence, including technology and entertainment, would not be possible.
  • Humorous comparisons are made between gravity and cable TV, with some participants jokingly advocating for the superiority of cable over gravity.
  • Several posts reflect on the philosophical implications of gravity, such as its role in creating a sense of belonging and connection to the universe.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants express a range of opinions on gravity, with no clear consensus. While some view it as essential and beneficial, others highlight its drawbacks and express a desire for alternatives. The discussion remains unresolved with competing views on the value of gravity.

Contextual Notes

The discussion includes humorous elements and personal anecdotes, which may influence the seriousness of the arguments presented. Some claims about the implications of gravity on technology and existence are speculative and not universally accepted.

ConcealedDreamer
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Hey, can I say that gravity is more good, or more bad? Despite the crazy reason about wanting to float or fly.
 
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The universe is what it is now because of gravity. Without it we probably wouldn't be here right now. The Earth is round because of gravity. The sun exists because of gravity. I think gravity is all good.
 
DB said:
The universe is what it is now because of gravity. Without it we probably wouldn't be here right now. The Earth is round because of gravity. The sun exists because of gravity. I think gravity is all good.

I'll agree...if I want non-gravity i'll go to space :biggrin:
 
Pro-I get to use my shoes

Con-when I let go of a tree branch it hurts
 
It's definitely not ALL good, if it really was the least it could do is slow down a tad whenever someone falls out of an Airplane, I mean, come on. If I was gravity I would be helping out in Iraq and everything. Lazy son-of-a-molecule.
 
GRAVITY gets me down! :mad:

GRAVITY gets the girls down! :biggrin:
 
I stand corrected, Gravity is pure good.
 
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I'm very much in favour of gravity, owing to the fact that without it we'd all suffocate, because the Earth would be unable to hold onto an atmosphere, and then be incinerated, because there would be nothing stopping the sun from exploding.
 
Sure, a lack of gravity would be fun, but one misdirected sneeze and bye bye solid ground.
 
  • #10
Gravity is detrimental to boobs.
 
  • #11
I love you tribdog :smile: :smile: :smile: :smile:
 
  • #12
I'm pro-gravity.

It gives me a sense of belonging.

The force of gravity goes on forever. It diminishes in inverse proportion to the square of the distance, but it never reaches zero. Every star I see in the sky is tugging on me just a little bit, almost as if saying "We want you here." Even more, I tug on every star in the sky just a little bit. The universe knows I'm here.

Of course, there's one reason for liking gravity that's even more important than a sense of belonging.

If gravity didn't exist, everyone would have Don King hair.
 
  • #13
With Einstein's eyes, gravity is the same thing as spacetime. No gravity. No universe. I'll take it.
 
  • #14
Hahaha...thanks guys, I now know gravity rocks.
 
  • #15
It's okay on a cosmic scale, but I say there's too much of it in the physics department at 11:30 PM, the night before an exam.
 
  • #16
It's not better than cable.
 
  • #17
FulhamFan3 said:
It's not better than cable.

Haha. I don't have cable, so I wouldn't know. But how does that contribute to the pro's and con's?
 
  • #18
Without gravity, there would be no cable!
 
  • #19
With cable, who cares if there's no gravity ?
 
  • #20
Without gravity, the Earth wouldn't exist as we know it, and there would be nothing to bury the cables in!

Also all the actors and producers would suffocate in the lack of atmosphere... unless they got oxygen tanks...
 
  • #21
rachmaninoff said:
Without gravity, the Earth wouldn't exist as we know it, and there would be nothing to bury the cables in!
If you can't bury it, don't bury it.

Also all the actors and producers would suffocate in the lack of atmosphere... unless they got oxygen tanks...
They got oxygen tanks. :wink:
 
  • #22
See, if I have to be floating through empty space with an oxygen tank, I'd better have some cable to watch, or I'm going to get pretty bored.
 
  • #23
Gokul43201 said:
See, if I have to be floating through empty space with an oxygen tank, I'd better have some cable to watch, or I'm going to get pretty bored.


But without gravity, where are you going to get food? Everything will be gone. And what film would they show in Cable? All TV networks will be gone.
 
  • #24
Well you could have satellite TV instead. Oh wait satellites use gravity. So you could have, um, wait this question is ridiculous, the first thing we need to do is figure out how to start TV networks floating around in gravity-free space. Once there are TV networks, then we can start thinking about transmission and televisions.
 
  • #25
I haven't lloked to see that maybe someone else came up with my idea,but here goes:
"According to M Theory viewed as a TOE,if we didn't have gravity,we wouldn't have the other 3 interactions as well."No electromagnetism,no cable-TV,okay??

Basically all superstrings would not interact.
In 'normal QFT language',we would not have gauge bosons,but only particles which are scalar (no constraints) and fermionic (second-class constraints).Only bosons would allow interaction and fermions would interact by means of (pseudo) scalar bosons.Basically,the only field theories possible:Yukawa and lambda phi^{4}.

But most importantly:NO cable-TV.NO internet,NO Physicsforums.It's less relevant that we humans could not exist...Our atoms,nuclei could not exist...

Daniel.
 
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  • #26
I'm wondering if you guys got my joke or if your really dense. I was referring to the commercial where a guy talks about how cable is better than gravity. He does a similar commercial talking about how cable is better than puppies too.
 
  • #27
Puppies ? Haven't seen that one. Why is there even a discussion about puppies - there's no comparison. bah !
 
  • #28
FulhamFan3 said:
I'm wondering if you guys got my joke or if your really dense. I was referring to the commercial where a guy talks about how cable is better than gravity. He does a similar commercial talking about how cable is better than puppies too.
I got it. What's that guy doing in that office at what appears to be the middle of the night if he has such a thing for his cable? He should be home sitting in front of his TV or computer, right?

Con: Gravity forces us to come up with bizarre "theory's of everything" that require a whole bunch of weird dimensions in order for them to work. :smile:

Pro: Gravity keeps my stuff from floating away. So I don't have to waste my time retrieving everything when I want to use it.

Con: My Guitar amp weighs 41 pounds.

Pro: It stays pretty much where I put it.
:smile:
 
  • #29
Speaking of cable tv, did you know that if you stick aluminum foil onto the screen of a CRT telvision and turn it off, it accumulates a huge static voltage? Er, I thought you all should know. Because it's a safety hazard no one ever warns you about.
 
  • #30
Does the static voltage hurt just the TV or everything in the vicinity? Because I've been hearing some loud snapping noises from my CRT TV. When this happens, the TV screen usually goes dark for a moment, and then returns to normal.
 

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