Re: The Principle of Equivalence Explained

When you are talking about the Equivalence Principle it would be very
helpful to understand what a principle is and why it is used instead
of calling something a Law or a Theorem.

In mathematics, you could probably come up with something like a
"principle of randomness" to explain relationships why defy
proveability and even defineability.

In physics you can do the same thing, and the fact that you cannot
_Prove_ whether you are in a gravitational field or a rocket, this is
where you get into an area where you must question the proveability of
your methods.

I suspect that Einstein and others wrestled with this, but science was
probably not ready to address these issues in his day, despite the
great strides in progressive thinking, many revolutions in thought and
knowledge, despite all of that mathematics has always clung to this
Shakespearean "To be or not to be" existential dichotomy, they could
never believe in such a thing that "maybe it exists and maybe it dont
with probability p = k". That was a bridge too far.

I dont have any sources to cite except my own gut instincts that this
is why the Equivalence Principle is in fact a principle, but certainly
you cannot _prove_ whether you are accelerating in a ship or standing
in a G-field. It cannot be proved and it's not intended to be. It's
just like randomness in that respect. Eerie - eh ?

So, why isnt the Equivalence Principle called the "Axiom of
Equivalence" ? In part, because physics has not been axiomatized, and
it is also not yet unified. So, it is dangerous to call something an
Axiom when you have these prevailing conditions which overshadow all
of physics. My opinion of course -










.

Relevant Pages

  • Re: Vertigo
    ... I feel some vertigo in my stomach, so I know I'm in free fall. ... Is this feeling an evidence that the equivalence principle is ... Why do you know I don't know physics?. ...
    (sci.physics.relativity)
  • Re: big bang would violate the equivalence principle
    ... So now think about a cube of spacetime of some extension. ... The equivalence principle now says, that relative to any such path you draw ... So for all kinds of free-falling bodies the universe looks like the universe ... the same laws of physics than those we have in our region of space. ...
    (sci.physics.relativity)
  • Re: Vertigo
    ... I feel some vertigo in my stomach, so I know I'm in free fall. ... Is this feeling an evidence that the equivalence principle is ... Why do you know I don't know physics?. ...
    (sci.physics.relativity)
  • Re: The Principle of Equivalence Explained
    ... When you are talking about the Equivalence Principle it would be very ... In physics you can do the same thing, and the fact that you cannot ... I dont have any sources to cite except my own gut instincts that this ... Axiom when you have these prevailing conditions which overshadow all ...
    (sci.physics)
Quantcast