Significance of Gravitational force

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SUMMARY

The discussion centers on the nature of gravitational force and its mechanism, contrasting Newtonian and Einsteinian physics. In Newtonian physics, gravitational force is described as an interaction through a field, similar to electric charges. Einsteinian physics redefines gravity as the curvature of space-time rather than a force, emphasizing that all forces act at a distance. The conversation highlights the empirical basis of scientific theories and the distinction between mathematical proofs and scientific facts.

PREREQUISITES
  • Understanding of Newtonian physics and gravitational force
  • Familiarity with Einstein's General Relativity
  • Basic knowledge of scientific theories and empirical evidence
  • Concept of fields in physics
NEXT STEPS
  • Study Newton's Law of Universal Gravitation
  • Explore the principles of General Relativity
  • Investigate the concept of gravitational fields
  • Learn about the empirical methods used in scientific research
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Students of physics, educators, and anyone interested in understanding the fundamental principles of gravitational force and the differences between classical and modern physics.

paras02
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Hello friends !
I got confused in the point that how can a body exert a gravitational force on other body without coming in its physical contact ? Also please explain its mechanism or significance of gravitational force ?
 
Last edited:
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welcome to pf!

hello paras02! welcome to pf! :smile:

in Newtonian physics: same way an electric charge can exert a force on another charge without contact … by a field

in einsteinian physics: there is no force, there is only the "warped" geometry of space-time :wink:
 
Sorry I am unable to understand the answer given by you. Kindly clarify the question in more simple words.
 
paras02 said:
Sorry I am unable to understand the answer given by you. Kindly clarify the question in more simple words.

The simplest answer is "we don't know." We don't know why. What physicists have are equations that enables them/us to predict what matter will do.
 
you may be corect but I am still not satisfied
 
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OK, so you're not satisfied. Sorry about that.
 
Physics is not about "why", it describes "how". Sometimes, the level of "how" is so deep that it looks like a reason, but it is just a more fundamental description how.
"Why" is something for philosophy.
 
Faraday pictured a way how to visualise 'action at a distance' by using the idea of a 'field'.
 
sorry ! but science is based on proofs not on facts
 
  • #10
paras02 said:
[..] how can a body exert a gravitational force on other body without coming in its physical contact ? Also please explain its mechanism or significance of gravitational force ?
tiny-tim said:
[..] in Newtonian physics: same way an electric charge can exert a force on another charge without contact … by a field

in einsteinian physics: there is no force, there is only the "warped" geometry of space-time :wink:
That is in fact Einsteinian mathematics. Just as in Newtonian physics, in Einsteinian physics the effect is described with a gravitational field. That implies that something physical exists in vacuum that mediates the effect. However, we still don't know much about its "mechanism" (perhaps something for the Quantum forum?).

As this is the classical forum, do you want to know "classical" explanations such as by Newton?
 
  • #11
paras02 said:
sorry ! but science is based on proofs not on facts

No, the only proofs that exist are mathematical proofs. I like wikipedia's definition of a fact:

A fact (derived from the Latin factum, see below) is something that has really occurred or is actually the case. The usual test for a statement of fact is verifiability, that is whether it can be proven to correspond to experience. Standard reference works are often used to check facts. Scientific facts are verified by repeatable experiments.

Science is based on empirical evidence being gathered and explained using models, which are themselves based on scientific theories. A scientific theory is:

"a well-substantiated explanation of some aspect of the natural world, based on a body of facts that have been repeatedly confirmed through observation and experiment."[1][2] Scientists create scientific theories from hypotheses that have been corroborated through the scientific method, then gather evidence to test their accuracy. As with all forms of scientific knowledge, scientific theories are inductive in nature and do not make apodictic propositions; instead, they aim for predictive and explanatory force.

For example we explain gravity in classical physics as a force, where the magnitude of the force is based on a mathematical formula. This has been verified as being accurate to a very high degree, and only General Relativity is able to predict things more accurately, which is why it is now considered the modern theory of gravity. The fact that gravity acts at a distance, while surprising to many, is nothing special. ALL forces act through a distance. Nothing ever actually "touches" anything else the way you imagine it when you get down to the very small scale of atoms and molecules. Atoms and molecules themselves are not even solid objects. (In the normal everyday sense of "solid" that most people think of)
 
  • #12
paras02 said:
sorry ! but science is based on proofs not on facts

Science is based on facts. Mathematical relations that have been proved under certain assumptions may be used. But scientists can't prove that those assumptions are correct.

So natural science can never really prove anything. It's pragmatic: things are used because they work, or not used because they don't work.
 
  • #13
Drakkith said:
No, the only proofs that exist are mathematical proofs. I like wikipedia's definition of a fact:

A fact (derived from the Latin factum, see below) is something that has really occurred or is actually the case. The usual test for a statement of fact is verifiability, that is whether it can be proven to correspond to experience. Standard reference works are often used to check facts. Scientific facts are verified by repeatable experiments.

Science is based on empirical evidence being gathered and explained using models, which are themselves based on scientific theories. A scientific theory is:

"a well-substantiated explanation of some aspect of the natural world, based on a body of facts that have been repeatedly confirmed through observation and experiment."[1][2] Scientists create scientific theories from hypotheses that have been corroborated through the scientific method, then gather evidence to test their accuracy. As with all forms of scientific knowledge, scientific theories are inductive in nature and do not make apodictic propositions; instead, they aim for predictive and explanatory force.

For example we explain gravity in classical physics as a force, where the magnitude of the force is based on a mathematical formula. This has been verified as being accurate to a very high degree, and only General Relativity is able to predict things more accurately, which is why it is now considered the modern theory of gravity. The fact that gravity acts at a distance, while surprising to many, is nothing special. ALL forces act through a distance. Nothing ever actually "touches" anything else the way you imagine it when you get down to the very small scale of atoms and molecules. Atoms and molecules themselves are not even solid objects. (In the normal everyday sense of "solid" that most people think of)

i agree
 
  • #14
Thank you guys
 

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