Jefimenko's Theory of Gravitation: Continued Discussion

In summary, the conversation revolves around discussing Jefimenko's theory of gravitation and its validity in comparison to Einstein's general relativity. The original poster expresses interest in understanding the vector equations in Jefimenko's book and requests a breakdown from someone who has read it. Another user argues that Jefimenko's theory is more of a personal "theory" rather than a scientifically proven one. The conversation then shifts to discussing the credibility of the theory and whether it is worth someone's time to delve deeper into it. The thread is eventually closed, with the reminder that expertise cannot be exchanged for summaries or explanations.
  • #1
marcosdb
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TL;DR Summary
Trying to better understand Jefimenko's gravitational-cogravitational equations
This is a continuation of this post, which has been closed to replies:

I am also really curious to better understand Jefimenko's theory of gravitation; I have the book, which apparently is no longer available on amazon, and I updated the wikipedia page to include his generalized gravitation equations.

Some of the vector equations in the book were a little over my head; would be really curious if there is anyone here who has read the book & is able to understand the vector equations to give a breakdown of what holds water & what doesn't.
 
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  • #2
This looks rather like a personal "theory" by Jefimenko than physics. The still best theory of gravitation is Einstein's general relativity with a well-defined weak-field limit, leading to Newtonian theory of gravitation with a well-defined realm of validity.
 
  • #3
For sure, but it seems quite sound, given that the guy was quite brilliant, it seems like it'd be worthwhile for someone who is able to understand it to deeply look at it.

What I mean is, I'd love a breakdown like "his theory/formulation breaks down when you try to apply his X formula against Y physical behavior, it breaks down & incorrectly predicts the results"

That is what science is about after all, right? (and not "the best theory is the one we know so there's no need to dig deeper into anything else)

Not digging into pseudoscience is fair, but Jefimenko actually lays out formulas that should be pretty easy to shoot down
 
  • #4
marcosdb said:
For sure, but it seems quite sound
How do you know that? Are you an expert?
marcosdb said:
given that the guy was quite brilliant
Brilliant people are not always right. Aristotle, for example.
marcosdb said:
it seems like it'd be worthwhile for someone who is able to understand it to deeply look at it.
So, your argument is that it's not worth your own time to become an expert yourself and look into it, but instead someone else should devote their time into looking at it. Not the best sales pitch.

Some proponent of the theory should calculate its predictions for the PPN parameters and show they agree with experiment. If they don't, the theory is wrong. If the theory can't predict them, it's not much of a theory.
 
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  • #5
My argument is that I, a software engineering expert, am not going to brush up on it as quickly as a physics expert would

Much like I could answer a question about Kotlin/Java/C++/C# in 10 seconds, while it may take you years to learn the subject

My pitch is that I, a software engineering expert, would be more than happy to lend my knowledge/expertise/understanding in my field in exchange for a rundown in phsyics
 
  • #6
marcosdb said:
My pitch is that I, a software engineering expert, would be more than happy to lend my knowledge/expertise/understanding in my field in exchange for a rundown in phsyics
Sorry, that's not how things work here.

Thread closed.
 

1. What is Jefimenko's Theory of Gravitation?

Jefimenko's Theory of Gravitation is an alternative theory to explain the force of gravity. It was proposed by physicist Oleg D. Jefimenko in the late 20th century and suggests that gravity is not a fundamental force, but rather a consequence of the curvature of spacetime caused by the presence of mass and energy.

2. How does Jefimenko's Theory differ from Einstein's Theory of General Relativity?

Jefimenko's Theory differs from Einstein's Theory of General Relativity in that it does not rely on the concept of spacetime curvature. Instead, it proposes that the force of gravity is a result of the interaction between electromagnetic fields and the motion of charged particles.

3. What evidence supports Jefimenko's Theory of Gravitation?

Currently, there is no experimental evidence to support Jefimenko's Theory of Gravitation. It is considered a controversial and unproven theory, with many scientists skeptical of its validity. However, some proponents of the theory argue that it can explain certain phenomena, such as the anomalous acceleration of the Pioneer spacecraft, which cannot be fully explained by traditional theories of gravity.

4. How does Jefimenko's Theory relate to other theories of gravity?

Jefimenko's Theory is often compared to other alternative theories of gravity, such as Modified Newtonian Dynamics (MOND) and Scalar-Tensor-Vector Gravity (STVG). It differs from these theories in its approach to explaining gravity, as well as its predictions for the behavior of gravitational fields in different situations.

5. Is Jefimenko's Theory widely accepted by the scientific community?

No, Jefimenko's Theory is not widely accepted by the scientific community. It is considered a fringe theory, with many scientists viewing it as unproven and lacking in empirical evidence. However, some researchers continue to explore the potential implications of the theory and its potential for further development and refinement.

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