|
| Thread: Questions for the Professors | |
|
friendofgunnar
Honorable
Legendary Hero
able to speed up time
|
posted December 08, 2013 07:25 AM |
|
|
Questions for the Professors
There's a lot of scientific talent and credentials here so I thought I'd pose some questions to ruminate on.
#1
Imagine you are floating in a void. Exactly 1000 kilometers away there are two massive spherical bodies that are extremely close to each other. They are both equidistant to you so they both appear to be the exact same size. They are not orbiting each other. They are perfectly still in relation to each other. This means they will soon start to move towards each other (because of gravity) and eventually collide.
Exactly 1000 kilometers away in the exact opposite direction there are two massive spherical bodies that are identical to the first set. Just like the first set they are both equidistant to you so they both appear to be the exact same size. They are not orbiting each other. They are perfectly still in relation to each other. This means they will soon start to move towards each other (because of gravity) and eventually collide. This pair however has 10 times the distance between them and thus will collide later. Very important: The midpoint between these two bodies is exactly the same distance from you as the midpoint between the previous pair of bodies is to you.
Question: Are you
1. Gravitationally attracted to the pair that are closer together
2. attracted equally to both pairs
3. Gravitationally attracted to the pair that are farther apart
(We can assume that you are attracted to both pairs, what I'm asking is if there is a net gravitational vector pointing towards one of the pairs)
|
|
Corribus
Hero of Order
The Abyss Staring Back at You
|
|
posted December 08, 2013 04:15 PM |
|
Edited by Corribus at 16:16, 08 Dec 2013.
|
It's just a matter of determining the force vectors between each body and yourself. The question doesn't make a whole lot of sense, however. For one thing, it's hard to visualize the positions of all the bodies given the ambiguous way you've described them; a diagram would be useful. Second, the first two bodies would be attracted to the second two bodies (and yourself), and vice-versa, so some your assumptions aren't particularly realistic. E.g., how can the bodies be still with respect to each other but also be simultaneously be moving towards each other?
____________
I'm sick of following my dreams. I'm just going to ask them where they're goin', and hook up with them later. -Mitch Hedberg
|
|
friendofgunnar
Honorable
Legendary Hero
able to speed up time
|
|
posted December 10, 2013 09:19 AM |
|
|
|
I was going to use my thought experiment to illustrate something odd and interesting about relativity. Will be back soon with a diagram and specifics.
|
|
Netserk
Tavern Dweller
|
|
posted December 10, 2013 06:24 PM |
|
Edited by Netserk at 18:40, 10 Dec 2013.
|
Number 1. Those two bodies are closer to you (Pythagoras).
edit: This is how I see it:
A is us, B & C are the two bodies close to each other, and D & E are the bodies far from each other (relatively).
a is the distance between us and the midpoint of the two sets of bodies. It's the same for both pairs. b is the distance between B & C. c is the distance between D & E.
What matters for the gravity vector(s) affecting us is the direct distance between each body and us (d & e). Since a=a and b<c, d<e.
|
|
Aron
Known Hero
|
|
posted December 10, 2013 11:05 PM |
|
Edited by Aron at 23:07, 10 Dec 2013.
|
Wow this may be a longshot but years ago some experiments were done showing that subatomic particles could changepaths depending on observation. Is there any news on this? Why it happens, etc?
This is an alternative of the double slit experiment but with QM.
Heres a lil video of it. It's not the original and of bad quality but it suffices!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q1YqgPAtzho
____________
|
|
|
|
