- #1
pcmattpope
- 9
- 0
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 flight, it initially had energy of motion (i.e., kinetic). That energy has now vanished as it sits motionless above the earth.
So here's the question: Assuming energy is ALWAYS conserved, where is the (kinetic) energy? Where can I find it? Where precisely is it stored? To say that the energy will be recovered when the ball is allowed to descend back to the Earth does NOT answer the question. To say that the energy resides in the (gravitational) field does NOT answer the question. The energy must be PHYSICALLY stored somewhere.
Similarly, a photon looses energy (red shift) as it ascends away from Earth's gravity. Where can that energy (loss) be found?
I don't believe there is a simple explanation. I pose the question to explore possible physical model ideas that could conceivably explain the location of the energy.
So here's the question: Assuming energy is ALWAYS conserved, where is the (kinetic) energy? Where can I find it? Where precisely is it stored? To say that the energy will be recovered when the ball is allowed to descend back to the Earth does NOT answer the question. To say that the energy resides in the (gravitational) field does NOT answer the question. The energy must be PHYSICALLY stored somewhere.
Similarly, a photon looses energy (red shift) as it ascends away from Earth's gravity. Where can that energy (loss) be found?
I don't believe there is a simple explanation. I pose the question to explore possible physical model ideas that could conceivably explain the location of the energy.