Allegedly "debunking" the Cavendish Experiment

  • Context: High School 
  • Thread starter Thread starter DarthOblivious
  • Start date Start date
  • Tags Tags
    Flat earth
Click For Summary
SUMMARY

The Cavendish experiment, which measures the gravitational attraction between masses, has not been debunked and remains repeatable with modern methodologies. The discussion highlights the flawed reasoning of a non-scientist who attempted to discredit the experiment by comparing values of different dimensions, such as Newton's gravitational constant (G) and an unrelated quantity (Ge). This comparison is fundamentally nonsensical and demonstrates a lack of understanding of basic physics principles. Engaging with individuals who promote flat Earth theories is unproductive, as they often reject scientific evidence in favor of conspiracy narratives.

PREREQUISITES
  • Understanding of gravitational physics, specifically Newton's law of universal gravitation.
  • Familiarity with the Cavendish experiment and its historical significance in measuring gravitational forces.
  • Basic knowledge of scientific methodology and the importance of dimensional analysis.
  • Awareness of common pseudoscientific arguments and how to critically evaluate them.
NEXT STEPS
  • Research the Cavendish experiment and its implications in modern physics.
  • Study Newton's law of universal gravitation and its applications in various scientific fields.
  • Learn about dimensional analysis and its importance in scientific comparisons.
  • Explore the psychology of conspiracy theories and their impact on public understanding of science.
USEFUL FOR

Students of physics, educators in the sciences, and individuals interested in debunking pseudoscientific claims will benefit from this discussion.

DarthOblivious
Messages
1
Reaction score
0
TL;DR
Someone showed me this and I wanted to know everything that's wrong about it.
A flatearther sent this to me a few months ago. Dude actually thought this... "project" would convince me. I don't subscribe to conspiracy theories at all, but my knowledge of science is very, very modest, so I can't personally scrutinize it properly. Would anyone be kind enough to help?

EDIT: Forgot the link, lol:
(link removed by mentor: non-accredited journal)
 
Last edited by a moderator:
Physics news on Phys.org
It's a waste of time analysing such things as they are generally nonsense.
 
  • Like
Likes   Reactions: russ_watters and DarthOblivious
Welcome to PF.

The Cavendish experiment has NOT been debunked, and can be repeated today.

That is a list of possible distractions that, then and now, play no part in the experiment. The list was constructed by a non-scientist, acting as devil's advocate, with the aim of muddying the water of science, with pseudo-science.
 
  • Like
Likes   Reactions: DarthOblivious and PeroK
Any work that seriously compares two values with different dimensions (Newton's ##G## and whatever nonsense Spear's ##Ge## is supposed to be) and declares them "very close" can safely be dismissed as the work of a clueless poser. Is 1m "very close to" 1kg? Is 1km "very close to" 1kg? What does it even mean to compare a distance to a weight? If it didn't occur to anybody involved in the publication of that paper to ask the equivalent question about ##G## and ##Ge##, nobody involved has even the most basic grasp of physics.
 
  • Informative
Likes   Reactions: DarthOblivious
Don't waste your time arguing with a flatearth person. They will simply not trust your evidence and conclude its all a conspiracy theory to hide the flatness of the Earth.

Closing thread, thanks to everyone who contributed here.
 
  • Like
Likes   Reactions: DarthOblivious and Drakkith

Similar threads

  • · Replies 65 ·
3
Replies
65
Views
11K