Initial Move: Redefine Gravity (by F Mendoza Jr)

There are many theories about gravity but the most prominent one is the Newtonian idea that gravity is a force of attraction between bodies. But Edwin Hubble’s discovery that our Universe is expanding seems does not fit that Newton’s version of gravity. Perhaps, one good recommendation is to temporarily put aside Newton’s version and look for other possible “bright ideas”.

There was a time in the history of mankind that people believed that the earth is the center of the Universe. Ptolemy, one of the best thinkers of that time, made complicated reasons to explain the movements of the heavenly bodies. Copernicus disagreed with him. He pointed out that one must first disregard all Ptolemy’s claims. He began by giving a new set of assumptions and analyses and came up with a simple model of the Solar System.

In this presentation, I will do the same method Copernicus did. Let us first disregard the notion that gravity is a kind of force by starting with a new set of assumptions and analyses. The initial thing to do is to find a familiar situation that will relate to gravity. Let us start with this hypothetical example:


A Journey to Infinity

Imagine a man standing inside an elevator, traveling in an accelerated velocity of 9.8 meters per second per second, in a straight path in space without any external factors that may affect his journey. The elevator is in the upward direction in respect to the man’s position, his feet touching the floor. The man thought he was still inside the building and everything was normal. He was waiting for the elevator to go up or to go down but he noticed that the elevator seems to be not moving. Unknowingly, he is in his journey of no return.

Observation:

Now, let us visualize how the elevator would speed away in space from its point of origin. The elevator starts to travel in space and gained speed fast. In the first one second of its journey, the elevator was already approaching a speed of 35.28 km per hour. It continued to increase speed every seconds of its journey. One might think that at that first one second, the elevator was already 9.8 meters away from its point of exit. Theoretically, that is wrong. The elevator started from zero speed and so, it needed time to gain speed before it approaches the speed of 35.28 km per hour. So, its actual average speed would be 17.64 km per hour. The elevator covered only a distance of 4.9 meters in that first one second of journey. Imagine, for just a winked of an eye, the elevator moved a distance of almost five meters from its former position.

The elevator is traveling in an accelerated speed, so, for the next one second of its journey, its speed would become twice. Now the elevator is approaching a speed of 70.58 km per hour (the common speed of cars in a high-way), covering an additional 9.8 meters of distance within that single lapse of one second of the journey. The elevator would then be 14.7 meters away from its point of origin and still going farther each seconds of the journey. Imagine, in just the first two ticks of a clock, it already sped away a distance of about 15 meters, how much more in a minute or an hour. What would be its speed after a year?

One might think this could be a ridiculous idea. How could a man survive such speed within a year? How about Einstein’s statement that nothing can travel more than the speed of light? Of course, in any event, there should be rules and laws to follow. This hypothetical example is just a part of a series of presentations. So, it would be unfair to make an early judgment without taking considerations of my other presentations. Another thing, I wish to emphasize that in this presentation, I assume an ideal environment which is a valid condition in Physics or any branch of Science. (Next: Three analyses that will conform to Newton’s Fundamental Laws of Motion. Pls. read “Analyzing Gravity Thru Newton’s Three Laws of Motion” by F. Mendoza Jr.)