What Makes Gravity Such a Mysterious Force?

[CozmicScott]

"Good Grief Gravity"

HI , I'm new here and would just like too hear some thoughts on what everyone's idea about the force of gravity is, and why this magical attaction between mass occurs? Where does it come from? Why does it do what it does? etc. Thankyou.

 

[Hurkyl]

General relativity tells us about gravity. If you're still asking for 'why' beyond that, then you've probably regressing too far to be useful.

 

[CozmicScott]

General relativity tells us about gravity. If you're still asking for 'why' beyond that, then you've probably regressing too far to be useful.

It's just a fun simple question. If i had any other answer other than General Relativity, or Newton's law which for makes it understandable, and explain's it. That information on that force certainly would be useful would it not? I'm sorry for asking "why", but I think if we knew why we could know other things of great importance. Maybe I should have posted else where sorry.

 

[IPart]

Gravity, so tells us general relativity, is a force unlike any other because it is a geometric construct: it arises because of the topology of space-time. I think that answers in part one of your questions.

 

[Danger]

Hey, Coz;
One of the main things about science is that it never asks 'why'. That implies some sort of purpose for something happening. Science asks only 'how'.

 

[cholley]

I read "The Elegant Universe" By: Brian Greene

That book helps a lot...

One thing I think of when thinking of gravity (whether it's right or not idk) is that if you had two individuals walking parallel to each other on a sphere that represented space their paths would eventually cross at, for example, a "pole" this "phenomena" they are experiencing could be defined as "gravity" although there really are no forces at work despite the fact that they come together along parallel paths...

 

[Teeril]

I read "The Elegant Universe" By: Brian Greene

That book helps a lot...

One thing I think of when thinking of gravity (whether it's right or not idk) is that if you had two individuals walking parallel to each other on a sphere that represented space their paths would eventually cross at, for example, a "pole" this "phenomena" they are experiencing could be defined as "gravity" although there really are no forces at work despite the fact that they come together along parallel paths...

Even though my geometry is kinda rusty, I don't think parallel paths can cross.

 

[cholley]

Even though my geometry is kinda rusty, I don't think parallel paths can cross.

Your geometry isn't rusty parallel lines are NOT supposed to cross... that is, in Plane Geometry. However, what you are dealing with is not plane geometry but something more akin to Oceanic Navigation Geometry which has a history dating back for as long as man has sailed the seas (search for more precise dates b/c idk).