Is Gravity a force or the absence of a force

[genphis]

One thing that puzzles me is that, we are looking for the elusive graviton as a medium for transferring gravity. But if gravity is possibly the absence of force (just a thought ) what would we be looking for. Mass manipulates the fabric of space causing gravity wells or sumps as such. but does gravity have any electro-magnetic potential that can be measured.

can someone please point me in the right direction?

 

[Drakkith]

Gravity cannot be the absence of a force. It is, by definition, one of the 4 fundamental forces of nature. Don't be confused by the "force" term. It is more accurate to describe the fundamental forces as "interactions" instead. Basically it just means that objects affect other objects using one of these 4 ways, which we label as interactions or forces.

Gravitation is described extremely well by General Relativity, and any attempt to describe it as an "absence of force" would probably be horribly complex and make practically zero sense.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fundamental_interaction

Is also does have a potential.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gravitational_potential

 

[PeterDonis]

if gravity is possibly the absence of force

It depends on how you define "force". If you define it the way Drakkith did, as an "interaction"--basically "a way that things can affect each other"--then gravity is a "force". But in General Relativity, the strict definition of "force" is "something that causes proper acceleration". Gravity does *not* do that--objects whose motion is affected only by gravity are in free fall and feel zero acceleration; their proper acceleration is zero. So in this sense, gravity is *not* a "force".

 

[Drakkith]

Yes, I took "absence of force" to mean the absence of something that causes an interaction, not the absence of something that causes proper acceleration.

 

[Dale]

Sounds like a push gravity theory. The most famous of push gravity theories has been long discredited on multiple fronts: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Le_Sage's_theory_of_gravitation

 

[genphis]

is not acceleration a constant factor in our experience of the universe. if we are orbiting the sun, and our galaxy spinning is not gravity a byproduct of momentum. Are we not falling around the curvature of the space-time fabric. And because mass bends space we experience gravity at different intensity depending on the mass in our proximity.So by that definition Earth creates a more intense curvature of space than the moon so walking on Earth is feels like you are being pulled down more because the incline is steeper. that again is just an assumption on my part.

 

[Drakkith]

That is essentially correct, yes.

 

[genphis]

thanks for enlightenment