cjameshuff said:
Here's another Wikipedia link:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Equivalence_principle
..
Maybe give something resembling a counterargument, rather than a blanket "you're wrong!"?
Actually, we have given multiple, carefully-crafted counter arguments. Whether you agree with them or not, to claim we have just said a blanket "you're wrong" is not helping your case.
It is unfortunate that various ad hominems flung your way have driven you to respond in-kind.
Now: We all understand the equivalence principle quite well. It would be folly of you to think otherwise. Did you read the part where it says
"local" has a very special meaning: not only must the experiment not look outside the laboratory, but it must also be small compared to variations in the gravitational field, tidal forces, so that the entire laboratory is freely falling.
This is key.
EP is applicable to an
ideal scenario, where you couldn't look out the window, couldn't feel Coriolis Forces and couldn't measure gravitational gradients.
But living a space station we would dealing with practical experiences. And these different types of AG, regardless of what you might want to think, have practical implications. At the risk of predicting the future, I hazard to say newbies to space stations will get
injured before they figure them out. That's a difference.
cjameshuff said:
I don't know why you insist on focusing on extraneous effects, and not just ignoring but outright denying the fact that the resulting appearance of gravity is identical.
You have contradicted yourself.
You concede that there
are effects. You continue to acknowledge them by claiming "them" to be extraneous.
Now you claim the result is identical. You contradict yourself.
Look, this is not a 'he said she said' argument; It is not equivalent. I can demonstrate that your stance is indefensible due to the fact that you are taking a strong stance, one that is easy to knock down. You cannot demonstrate that my stance is indefensible because I am not taking a strong stance.
You claim there are NO differences; I claim there are SOME differences.
I only have to demonstrate that there is ONE differnece of ANY size to show your stance is in error.
You on the other hand, have to demonstrate that, of all the possible differences there could be, they are ALL nonexistent before you could show I am in error.
I present one. In a spinning station of any practical size, the Coriolis Force will be present, and in fact, quite observable.