How Fast Is Gravity?

[Deltic]

I just looked some stuff up, it appears you can look at it two ways, gravity that spplies directly in space, which does travel at the speed of light. However, that is not at the observers speed of light, it should be noted, as gravity distorts space/time so it can certainly appear to be quicker or slower depending on where you are observing from.

 

There ios also a theory that gravity exists in dimensions we can't yet "see", where the speed of light would simply not apply.

 

edit: my spellchecker appears to have stopped working

 

Oi!!! I got told off for that, leave your evil facts and just give your opinion.

 

Oh and the speed of light (in vacuum) is a constant that's how this relativity thing kicked off in the first place. So the observers speed of light is the same as regardless of their local frame of reference.

Edited February 26, 2012 by Deltic
spelllinng

[HeadingNorth]

Oh and the speed of light (in vacuum) is a constant that's how this relativity thing kicked off in the first place. So the observers speed of light is the same as regardless of their local frame of reference.

 

This was discovered by the Michelson/Morley experiment to which I referred earlier.

 

Einstein's contribution was to point out, by means of inescapable logical argument, that if the speed of light is indeed an absolute constant, then nothing can ever be accelerated up to or beyond it; it must also be a Universal, unbreakable speed limit. Ergo, anyone who wishes to argue that "Einstein was wrong" must offer an alternative explanation for the results given by Michelson and Morley.

[Balpin]

It hasn't yet been conclusively disproved, but nobody (in the scientific community) is in any doubt that it will be.

 

The LHC's results weren't published in a belief that they overturned the speed-of-light absolute limit, but in the hope that someone would find the error in them. The people who published them are quite confident there is an error, they just couldn't find it themselves.

 

When has the human race allowed itself to be stymied?

If we cant go faster than light, then lets find another method.

Theoretical mean, are like economists, they drain the life blood from everything.

I think Carl Sagan said about astronermers, something like this.

'When they take their heads from the stars, and bend them to their desks, they are finished'

[TaxiBaz]

I don't think they have. However, when Jabberwocky refers to the "speed of gravity" he doesn't mean the acceleration that it will cause in an object; he wants to know how long it takes for the existence of planet A to affect the motion of planet B, assuming that planet A just suddenly appeared out of nowhere.

 

 

If you remember that the formula for spring extension is called "Hooke's Law," named after Robert Hooke, you might interested to know that Robert Hooke tried to steal credit for the laws of gravity discovered by Isaac Newton. He was a notorious credit-grabber in his day.

 

Was he a Tory

Glad to know someone else remembers Hooke's Law.

[Deltic]

Isn't the speed of light inn question now haven't they done some experiments with the LHC ??? or has this been disproved/rubbished

 

It hasn't yet been conclusively disproved, but nobody (in the scientific community) is in any doubt that it will be.

 

The LHC's results weren't published in a belief that they overturned the speed-of-light absolute limit, but in the hope that someone would find the error in them. The people who published them are quite confident there is an error, they just couldn't find it themselves.

 

Apparently they discovered a faulty connection to the gps unit which would account for the excess speed recorded [i didn't Google that. I read it on the Guardian science pages, honest!]

[HeadingNorth]

Was he a Tory

Glad to know someone else remembers Hooke's Law.

 

I'm not sure I would have remembered the equation. I'm more interested by the history of science than I am by the science itself, a lot of the time.

[HeadingNorth]

Apparently they discovered a faulty connection to the gps unit which would account for the excess speed recorded [i didn't Google that. I read it on the Guardian science pages, honest!]

 

It may have accounted for the excess speed, but they haven't yet confirmed that it did.

 

Probably nothing will be confirmed with absolute certainty until we get results from a different team in a different location; which won't be much before the end of this year.

[sined15712]

All I know about Gravity is that it hurts when I hit the ground.

And its Isaac's Fault he should have left well alone.:hihi:

[Deltic]

This was discovered by the Michelson/Morley experiment to which I referred earlier.

 

Einstein's contribution was to point out, by means of inescapable logical argument, that if the speed of light is indeed an absolute constant, then nothing can ever be accelerated up to or beyond it; it must also be a Universal, unbreakable speed limit. Ergo, anyone who wishes to argue that "Einstein was wrong" must offer an alternative explanation for the results given by Michelson and Morley.

 

Elegantly put sir. If recall correctly (cos I daren't Google it) the same experiment also disproved the existence of the aether, nice on Michelson , nice one Morley.

[Jabberwocky]

Elegantly put sir. If recall correctly (cos I daren't Google it) the same experiment also disproved the existence of the aether, nice on Michelson , nice one Morley.

 

He said the "G" word! Ban 'im!!!