Question about gravity on the large scale.

[cragar]

I was thinking about olbers paradox and how I could apply it to gravity.
We assume that their are an infinite amount of planets and that they are all about
the same mass or we will just pick a minimum mass. And we assume they are evenly distributed. So the gravitational field falls off as 1/r^2 but the amount of planets grows
as r^2. So If there were an infinite amount of planets or stars or whatever, we would experience an infinite pull, but this would be in all directions so it might cancel.
i guess this is similar to gauss's law. But how would we know where the center is or how would we balance these infinities?

 

[mfb]

We are all in the center of our observable universe with a finite age - and as space looks nearly the same in all directions (if you are at rest with respect to the CMB), you don't get a significant attraction. There are some attracting things if you have a closer look.

 

[cragar]

How would you know you at rest compared to CMB
Would you tell by measuring the frequency.

 

[mfb]

You measure the temperature (which is related to the total intensity) and look for a dipole moment: If the CMB is hotter in direction X and colder at the opposite side, you are moving towards X (relative to the CMB).

 

[pmacias]

Firstly, it is important to note that Olbers' paradox is a concept related to the observable universe and the distribution of light, not gravity. However, your idea of applying it to gravity is interesting and can be explored further.

In order to understand the effects of gravity on a large scale, we must first consider the size and distribution of the objects that are exerting this force. In your example, assuming an infinite number of evenly distributed planets with similar masses, we can see that the gravitational pull would indeed cancel out in all directions. This is because the gravitational force between two objects is inversely proportional to the square of the distance between them. As the number of objects increases, the distance between them also increases, resulting in a decrease in the overall gravitational force.

However, it is important to note that this assumption of an infinite and evenly distributed universe is not reflective of our current understanding of the universe. The universe is constantly expanding and the distribution of matter is not uniform. Therefore, the effects of gravity on a large scale are more complex and cannot be simplified to a simple cancellation of forces.

As for determining the center of this infinite universe, it is not possible as it is a theoretical concept. In reality, the center of the universe is constantly changing as the universe expands. Similarly, balancing these infinities is not feasible as they exist only in theoretical scenarios.

In conclusion, while your idea of applying Olbers' paradox to gravity is intriguing, it is important to consider the limitations and complexities of our current understanding of the universe. Gravity on a large scale is a complex phenomenon that cannot be fully explained by simple assumptions and requires a deeper understanding of the distribution and behavior of matter in the universe.