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Alternate Model for the Force of Gravity

My Background

I am not a Mathematician or a Scientist. I have completed lower division courses in Physics and Calculus. I am, thereby, utterly unqualified to engage in Theoretical Physics.

I find Physics intensely interesting and Mathematics both indispensably useful and indescribably beautiful.

I also tend to think of myself as clever. We will soon see how accurate this perception is, and if it is any substitute for topical knowledge. (I have a good guess as to the latter.)

The Problem

The theory of gravity has (as far as I know) two glaring problems.

First, it (or its effects) violate the universal speed limit; the speed of light, C.

Second, it resists integration with the other forces in order to form a consistent Grand Unified Theory.

Both of these qualities make the current model of gravity unsatisfying to me.

An Alternate Model

To the best of my knowledge gravity is indistinguishable from inertia. (If this is incorrect I hope someone will enlighten me!) If we consider that they might be the same thing a (possibly) more elegant solution presents itself.

Imagine a universe where gravity is not a property of matter. Remaining Earthbound would be unmanageably difficult. That is unless the Earth happened to be accelerating along the radius terminating at your point on the globe. This would solve the problem for you, and your neighbors, but would not be effective world–wide. Unless, of course, it (or more specifically, it's surface) was accelerating (at 9.8 m/s^2) along all of the radii from the center to the surface, which is to say; expanding.

This clearly isn't happening . . . in four dimensional space–time.

But then, by all reports, we aren't living in four dimensions.

The only result of higher dimensions that I am aware of is easing the burden of Science–fiction writers.

Perception

The simplest argument against this theory would seem to be that it is observably false. The Earth is not expanding below us. If it were, nearby objects would seem to fly away from us in all directions.

The answer is tied up in the objection. A sphere (or platonic Earth) exists in three dimensions. A sphere can only expand over time, which is to say that time is implicit in the concept of expansion.

Our perception of time is clearly radically different from our perception of right, forward, and up. Could there be a fifth* dimension, which we perceive as mass?

The point of this paper is ultimately the question: Is there a mathematical model wherein a particle's acceleration along a fifth dimension manifests as mass?

*In using the term fifth I don't mean to stake a claim on the fifth dimension being my gravitational dimension. I'll take the next available one, whatever it is. If no one objects I'll take the 42^nd dimension.

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Original text and images Copyright 2003–2006 Peter Hutnick. All rights reserved.
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