Consequences of unifying Gravity with the other forces?

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Discussion Overview

The discussion revolves around the potential consequences of unifying gravity with electromagnetism (EM), exploring the implications for technology and energy generation. Participants consider whether such a unification could lead to the ability to control gravity or generate electricity from gravitational forces, and they compare this potential unification to historical advancements in physics.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory
  • Debate/contested
  • Conceptual clarification

Main Points Raised

  • Some participants propose that unifying gravity with EM could lead to significant technological advancements, similar to the unification of electricity and magnetism.
  • Others question the feasibility of generating energy to significantly alter local gravitational fields, noting that gravity is much weaker than other forces.
  • One participant reflects on the historical context of particle physics, suggesting that recent developments have not led to immediate technological applications, unlike past breakthroughs.
  • Concerns are raised about the potential dangers of new discoveries in particle physics, with one participant expressing a desire to avoid catastrophic outcomes from such advancements.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants express a mix of optimism about the potential benefits of unifying gravity with EM and skepticism regarding the practical implications and feasibility of such a unification. The discussion remains unresolved, with multiple competing views on the topic.

Contextual Notes

Participants acknowledge the limitations of current understanding and the dependence on future theoretical developments to clarify the implications of unifying gravity with other forces.

Ghost117
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When humanity unified electricity and magnetism, that ushered in a massive technological evolution for our species, perhaps only equalled by the advent of QM and modern electronics. Is it even possible to imagine the consequences of unifying Gravity with EM?

Is it possible that we will actually be able to 'control' gravity using eletromagnetism? Or perhaps generate electricity using gravitation? Or will it be more like Electro-Weak Theory and Chromodynamics, i.e. without the cascading technological consequences for our species?
 
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The issue will be can we generate the energy need to significantly change the local gravitational field. I think we will still be talking about very massive objects. This is simply due to the fact that gravity is 40 orders of magnitude weaker than the other forces.
 
hmm, good point
 
Ghost117 said:
When humanity unified electricity and magnetism, that ushered in a massive technological evolution for our species, perhaps only equalled by the advent of QM and modern electronics. Is it even possible to imagine the consequences of unifying Gravity with EM?

Is it possible that we will actually be able to 'control' gravity using eletromagnetism? Or perhaps generate electricity using gravitation? Or will it be more like Electro-Weak Theory and Chromodynamics, i.e. without the cascading technological consequences for our species?

It's impossible to say until the theory is developed.

Lately, new developments in particle physics did not find immediate technological use - the last "big one" was nuclear weapons and reactors, and it was ~70 years ago.

An example of a thing which came close but did not play out is muon catalyzed fusion - alas, muon lifetime is just a few percent too short for that to work!

However, maybe that's a good thing. Considering the nature of things particle physics researches today, I definitely do not want them to find things which allow creation of e.g. chain proton decay bombs! So far we live on only one planet, and I prefer to keep it intact! :)
 

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