Gravity: Is it Spacetime or Mater-Dependent?

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    Gravity Spacetime
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Discussion Overview

The discussion revolves around the nature of gravity, specifically whether it is dependent on matter or if it has always existed independently. Participants explore concepts from General Relativity and the implications of gravity being emergent versus a fundamental aspect of the universe.

Discussion Character

  • Debate/contested
  • Conceptual clarification

Main Points Raised

  • Some participants question whether gravity requires the presence of matter to exist, suggesting that gravitational effects can arise from energy in various forms, not just matter.
  • There is a discussion about whether gravity is an emergent property or if it has always existed, with references to General Relativity's lack of a defined "beginning" for gravity.
  • One participant notes that the concept of "emergent" typically refers to phenomena arising from simpler systems rather than a specific point in time.
  • A later reply indicates uncertainty regarding the origins of gravity, stating that the question remains unresolved.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants express differing views on whether gravity is emergent or has always existed, and the discussion remains unresolved with no consensus reached.

Contextual Notes

The discussion touches on complex concepts from General Relativity and the philosophical implications of emergent properties, with limitations in defining the nature of gravity and its origins.

wolram
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Do you have to have mater for the gravity field,or is gravity a thing that has all ways been.
 
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wolram said:
Do you have to have mater for the gravity field
In General Relativity, the stress-energy tensor (which includes energy and momentum) is the source of gravitational effects. This does not require that the energy is in the form of matter.
wolram said:
or is gravity a thing that has all ways been.
I'm not quite sure what you are asking there. The gravitational effect of some amount of energy around a given location is similar regardless of its form, so there's no change when a given amount of radiation energy is converted to or from the corresponding amount of matter.
 
I guess what i am trying to say is, was gravity emergent, or has it all ways been or how it came to be,for if-there was no pre existing gravitational field, all we would have is a cloud of gas
 
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General relativity doesn't describe any "beginning" to gravity or any change in its rules, so according to GR it has been there at least since very shortly after the big bang (at the end of the inflation phase).

The word "emergent" when applied to scientific properties usually refers not to a point in time but rather to higher-level phenomena which arise from simpler systems but which cannot usefully be described in terms of the components.
 
wolram said:
was gravity emergent, or has it all ways been or how it came to be

We don't know. Thread closed.
 

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