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twoshots
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25 May 2009, 7:52 pm

ruveyn wrote:
pakled wrote:
actually we don't know 'precisely' what gravity is. It's a weak force, but what generates it (Geordi's gravitons notwithstanding...;), we're not 100% sure yet. Looking forward to the day we can turn it off, redirect it, and push back with it.


If Einstein is right that day won't come any time soon. According to General Relativity gravity is curvature of the space-time manifold produced by mass or its energy equivalent.

ruveyn

Well, it wouldn't be the first time Einstein was wrong, and the idea of some kind of mediating particle seems to be popular, but that seems relegated to the realm of theory.


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Magnus
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25 May 2009, 11:59 pm

Thanks to everyone for the responses.


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CloudWalker
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26 May 2009, 7:33 am

Relativity doesn't exlcude gravity as a force, it's just not needed in calculation. The way spacetime is curved is not explained by relativity, so it could very well be mediated by graviton.



ruveyn
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26 May 2009, 12:03 pm

CloudWalker wrote:
Relativity doesn't exlcude gravity as a force, it's just not needed in calculation. The way spacetime is curved is not explained by relativity, so it could very well be mediated by graviton.


There are tidal forces.

So far quantum type gravitation theories have failed because of the infinities. The renormalization tricks that worked for electrodynamics and chromodynamics (quarks, gluons etc.) do not seem to work for spin 2 bosons. Maybe String Theory is the way to go. Maybe.

ruveyn