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Old December 29th 08, 02:52 AM posted to alt.astronomy
oldcoot[_2_] oldcoot[_2_] is offline
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First recorded activity by SpaceBanter: Apr 2007
Posts: 608
Default An Attractive Proposition -

Painius wrote, replying to Bert,

Since matter does not really generate
gravity, then any possible change in the
gravity of a mass would be felt instantly
by all the other masses within its gravity
well.


Well, here we gotta parse this a little bit more. A "change in the
gravity" would amount to an "information packet", which could only
propagate as a *gravitational wave* which is limited to c. Thus it
wouldn't be 'quite instant' compared to the speed of charge which *is*
"in instantaneity" at all levels of the gravity well.
This 'not quite instant' information transfer would be
analogous to the slight lag when you open the faucet, due to the speed
of sound in water.. or the slight lag when you flip the lightwstich, due
to speed of electric charge in the wires being slightly less than c.
('Member from your electronics instructor days, 'velocity factor' in the
wire being somewhere around .77c depending on the material.)

Since matter does not generate gravity,
there is no need to see anything emitted
from a mass traveling at any speed.
There is no violation of lightspeed in this.

Correctomente and right on!

The gravitic charge appears instant
because the flow of space is a little like
the water in the hose.


'Cept minus the little lag of the water in the hose when you crack the
faucet on.