Re: Does the 'Curvature of Spacetime' cause gravity?


Perspicacious wrote:
> Juan R. wrote:
> > The spacetime curvature interpretation is unsustainable,
> > in the limit c --> infinite there is no curvature but still
> > there is gravitation, just Newtonian one.
>
> Juan,
>
> The requirement that GR reduces to Newtonian gravity in
> the limit c --> infinite is of no importance in physics.
> How could it be?
>
> Physics is the mathematical study of all conceivable universes.

That definition seems to fit a slanted characterization of metaphysics,
not physics.

Physical theories are accountable to make a good match between their
theoretical predictions and actual behavior of the visible world (we
find ourselves in) as determined by experiment, but are otherwise
arbitrary.

Spacetime in SR and GR are not things in the physical realm. Nor do
they directly correspond to things in the physical realm. They are
merely abstract constructs that Einstein used to help him formulate
theories to make predictions. In GR, spacetime curvature was designed
as _the_ Einstein explanation of gravity. But all theories are like
that. They all stack the deck to get the kind of explanation the
theorists 'prefer' to end up with. Ether theorists are no different in
that regard as are relativists.

.

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