Gravity and light: The curious case of a mobile mass and a hidden light source

In summary, the conversation revolves around an experiment where a mobile mass is pushed towards a hidden light and returns to its original position when the light is turned off. This experiment was published in the journal Physics Essays in December 2011 and has been repeated multiple times with the same results. The conversation discusses the need for a proper scientific citation and the possibility of revising our understanding of gravitational forces. However, more details of the experiment are required for a proper understanding and the conversation may be closed if a proper citation is not provided.
  • #1
louisrancourt
3
0
hi
Can you explain why a mobile mass is pushed towards a hidden light and goes back to original position when light is turned off. The mobile mass is at the end of a torsional pendulum suspended by trifilar small copper wire and is completely enclosed in a box. No air movement perceived.
Louis
 
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  • #2
louisrancourt said:
hi
Can you explain why a mobile mass is pushed towards a hidden light and goes back to original position when light is turned off. The mobile mass is at the end of a torsional pendulum suspended by trifilar small copper wire and is completely enclosed in a box. No air movement perceived.
Louis

This description is vague and confusing. Please provide proper, published citation where this experiment has been published, per the requirement of our PF Rules.

Zz.
 
  • #3
hi
The paper :The effect of light on gravitational attraction ' was puiblished in Physics essays, december 2011. More experiment for 3 years led to the same conclusion. It really seems that there was a pushing force on the mass. Maybe its time to revise our notion of gravitational forces and their nature.
Louis
 
  • #4
louisrancourt said:
hi
The paper :The effect of light on gravitational attraction ' was puiblished in Physics essays, december 2011. More experiment for 3 years led to the same conclusion. It really seems that there was a pushing force on the mass. Maybe its time to revise our notion of gravitational forces and their nature.
Louis

1. This is a dubious journal.

2. You obviously have no clue on how to provide a proper scientific citation. Please use Author, Journal name, volume number, page number, year.

3. Have you tried to do a citation index on the paper and see how many references were made to it and whether this has been verified and explained?

Zz.
 
  • #5
Maybe he speaks about something like this

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

But that is interesting too

http://www.technologyreview.com/news/414412/light-repels-light/

light_x220.jpg
 
  • #6
Sorry, but what you cite sounds nothing like what the OP described. Those experiments do not require us to "... revise our notion of gravitational forces... " Please wait for the OP to clarify.

Zz.
 
  • #7
hi
I realized there was not enough details to explain what happened in the experiment.
A 50 cm torsion pendulum supported in its middle point by 3 fine copper wire is placed in a cubicle. 100 g mass are placed at each end of the pendulum. A 500 g mass is brought close to one end of the pendulum and a point is reached where the gravitational attraction of the 500 g mass is balanced by the restoring force of the torsion wires. When that equilibrium point is reached, a 30 degrees laminar red laser beam is passed between the 2 masses, without touching them. The mobile mass slowly gets closer to the 500 g mass. When the light is cut off, the mobile mass returns to its equilibrium point. There was no measurable increase of temperature, no air movement and no static electric field detected.
The effect begins right away and stops when the light is cut off. When the laser beam was directed on the opposite side of the 100 g mass, it moved again towards the light beam.
What physical process can explain these facts?
Any help will be appreciated.
Louis
 
  • #8
What's the problem? Light has energy and thus affects spacetime the same way mass does, generating gravity.
 
  • #9
If you have 100g and 500 g masses and are watching them move, whatever you are looking at, it's not gravity.
 
  • #10
Until this experiment is performed in vacuum in free fall, how does one not eliminate any possible Bernoulli / Venturi effects - that the laser might be causing the air to flow... or that heating of the air is causing an "up draft" of the air in the gravitational field?

Or that the masses are responding to the change in position of the experimenter as he moves around the apparatus to switch the laser on and off...?
 
  • #11
Again, it doesn't matter if it's air drafts or not. The central premise - that this is a measurement of gravity - is simply wrong.
 
  • #12
louisrancourt said:
hi
I realized there was not enough details to explain what happened in the experiment.
A 50 cm torsion pendulum supported in its middle point by 3 fine copper wire is placed in a cubicle. 100 g mass are placed at each end of the pendulum. A 500 g mass is brought close to one end of the pendulum and a point is reached where the gravitational attraction of the 500 g mass is balanced by the restoring force of the torsion wires. When that equilibrium point is reached, a 30 degrees laminar red laser beam is passed between the 2 masses, without touching them. The mobile mass slowly gets closer to the 500 g mass. When the light is cut off, the mobile mass returns to its equilibrium point. There was no measurable increase of temperature, no air movement and no static electric field detected.
The effect begins right away and stops when the light is cut off. When the laser beam was directed on the opposite side of the 100 g mass, it moved again towards the light beam.
What physical process can explain these facts?
Any help will be appreciated.
Louis

You still have not provided the proper citation, and thus, all we have to go by is your interpretation of the experiment. Sorry, but that isn't enough.

I'm an experimentalist. The DETAILS of the experiment, of ANY experiment, are vital, based on my experience of not only performing such experiments, but also in refereeing any manuscript submitted for publication. Your description alone is not sufficient.

So unless you are able to provide the proper citation, then this topic does not meet the criteria for the source of discussion that we have outlined in the PF Rules that you had agreed to. It will result in this thread being closed.

Zz.
 

1. What is the relationship between gravity and light?

Gravity and light are both fundamental forces in the universe, but they do not have a direct relationship with each other. Gravity is the force that attracts objects with mass towards each other, while light is a form of electromagnetic radiation that travels in a straight line and does not have mass. However, gravity can affect the path of light by bending its path, as predicted by Einstein's theory of general relativity.

2. How does gravity affect light?

Gravity can affect light by bending its path, a phenomenon known as gravitational lensing. This occurs because gravity warps the fabric of space-time, causing light to follow a curved path as it passes through regions of strong gravitational pull. This effect can be observed when massive objects, such as galaxies or black holes, bend and distort the path of light from distant objects behind them.

3. Can gravity travel at the speed of light?

No, gravity does not travel at the speed of light. According to Einstein's theory of relativity, nothing can travel faster than the speed of light. Gravity is a force that is mediated by the hypothetical particle called a graviton, but this particle has not yet been observed and its properties are still not fully understood.

4. How does light escape from black holes if gravity is so strong?

Light can escape from black holes because they have a point of no return known as the event horizon. This is the boundary beyond which the gravitational pull of the black hole is so strong that not even light can escape. However, if an object, including light, crosses the event horizon, it will be pulled into the black hole and can never escape.

5. Can gravity and light be manipulated or controlled?

While we have some understanding of how to manipulate and control light, such as with lenses and mirrors, we are still trying to understand how to manipulate or control gravity. The ability to control gravity would have profound implications for space travel and other technologies, but it is still a subject of ongoing scientific research and exploration.

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