Recent content by pcmattpope

mileyoung I agree with you. It is no different than the case of elastic potential energy. In which case I can tell you precisely where and how the energy is stored. You may be more correct than you realize. Are you suggesting there are elastic bands connecting the ball and Earth together...

Thanks milesyoung. If "energy" is an abstract concept then physics is an abstract concept, because they are inseparable. It turns out the four forces are a "mysterious realm of science".

BruceW - you make some good clear points. But I disagree. If I exert energy and compress a spring, does it make sense to ask "Where is the energy stored?" Gravitation isn't any different we just can't see what's happening. It's not magic. There is a physical system that absorbs the energy, and...

mfb - I think if you are asking "How are particles stored" you are really asking "how is it that particles possesses mass-energy"? And that is a very important question in physics.

The question was "Where is the energy"? Let's simplify this scenario a bit further to eliminate frame of reference issues. Instead of throwing the ball upwards, I will simply pick up the ball and place it on a perch above the surface of the earth. Simply put, I exert a force through a...

I think we all agree that energy is somehow stored in the gravitational (and electromagnetic) field. The real issue (for me anyway) is HOW is it physically stored? It IS NOT magic, there exists a tangible mechanism that we can understand. The problem is that it exists in a tiny subatomic realm...

I agree with you 100% Wannabe... The gravitational field is a physical thing but the mechanism for storing energy is NOT classical physics. In fact, the mechanism is not discussed at all. So how does this "thing" called a gravitational field store energy? Classically speaking there exists...

I am referring to "the total energy". If the kinetic energy (or red shift energy) is lost, then it must be present elsewhere. Energy of motion is real energy, thus E=mc^2. Said differently, mass (i.e., energy) is lost during the ascension. As you aptly put it, "potential energy" is a...

If I throw a ball vertically upwards from the surface of the earth, the upward motion slows due to gravity. At the ball's highest point, I have placed a repositioned platform for the ball to rest on; so it sits motionless, perched above the surface of the earth. When the ball began it's...