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WTF is the speed of gravity

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  • WTF is the speed of gravity

    Apparently boffins are going to test for it.

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    Could somenone explain in simple terms if possible what it is.

    I read a brief history of time and understood the title.
    Space is big. You just won't believe how vastly, hugely, mind- bogglingly big it is. I mean, you may think it's a long way down the road to the chemist's, but that's just peanuts to space.
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  • #2
    Uh... they're going to see if gravity has the speed of light. If it's faster, then, well, Einstein's theory needs to be reworked - if it's slower, the same.

    I've always wondered what the speed of gravity is. Does gravity have to be necessarily a particle or wave based force (which can be blocked in one way or the other) if it does have speed? What if gravity is instant and effects immediately?
    Cake and grief counseling will be available at the conclusion of the test. Thank you for helping us help you help us all!

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    • #3
      is it how quickly an object exrts its gravitational force and another object.
      Space is big. You just won't believe how vastly, hugely, mind- bogglingly big it is. I mean, you may think it's a long way down the road to the chemist's, but that's just peanuts to space.
      Douglas Adams (Influential author)

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      • #4
        On Earth at Sea Level it's 9.8 meters/per second
        To us, it is the BEAST.

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        • #5
          Originally posted by Sava
          On Earth at Sea Level it's 9.8 meters/per second
          IIRC that is the acceleration of an object due to gravity i think thats different to the speed of gravity
          Space is big. You just won't believe how vastly, hugely, mind- bogglingly big it is. I mean, you may think it's a long way down the road to the chemist's, but that's just peanuts to space.
          Douglas Adams (Influential author)

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          • #6
            Re: WTF is the speed of gravity

            Originally posted by TheStinger
            Apparently boffins are going to test for it.

            BBC, News, BBC News, news online, world, uk, international, foreign, british, online, service


            Could somenone explain in simple terms if possible what it is.

            I read a brief history of time and understood the title.
            The speed at which the force of gravity propagates.

            Both GR and standard quant field theory would predict that it equals the speed o light.
            12-17-10 Mohamed Bouazizi NEVER FORGET
            Stadtluft Macht Frei
            Killing it is the new killing it
            Ultima Ratio Regum

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            • #7
              Where are the Poly scientists when you need them? Frogger? Edit: Speak of the devil...

              IIRC that is the acceleration of an object due to gravity i think thats different to the speed of gravity
              Yes, and it should be 9.8 m/s^2 .
              Cake and grief counseling will be available at the conclusion of the test. Thank you for helping us help you help us all!

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              • #8
                I asked a teacher about the pseed of gravity when I was 16. He didn't know squat, because his formal training was as an elec. engineer.
                12-17-10 Mohamed Bouazizi NEVER FORGET
                Stadtluft Macht Frei
                Killing it is the new killing it
                Ultima Ratio Regum

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                • #9
                  I remember my maths teacher when i was 15 talking about light cones, considering half the class couldn't do basic trig, this was a bit brave.
                  Space is big. You just won't believe how vastly, hugely, mind- bogglingly big it is. I mean, you may think it's a long way down the road to the chemist's, but that's just peanuts to space.
                  Douglas Adams (Influential author)

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                  • #10
                    I once measured the acc. due to gravity at sea level to within 0.0001% using a Kater's pendulum...
                    12-17-10 Mohamed Bouazizi NEVER FORGET
                    Stadtluft Macht Frei
                    Killing it is the new killing it
                    Ultima Ratio Regum

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                    • #11
                      Originally posted by TheStinger
                      I remember my maths teacher when i was 15 talking about light cones, considering half the class couldn't do basic trig, this was a bit brave.
                      He would have been braver had he discussed 4-vectors or the stress-energy tensor...
                      12-17-10 Mohamed Bouazizi NEVER FORGET
                      Stadtluft Macht Frei
                      Killing it is the new killing it
                      Ultima Ratio Regum

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                      • #12
                        Originally posted by Frogger


                        He would have been braver had he discussed 4-vectors or the stress-energy tensor...
                        He certianly would have lost me
                        Space is big. You just won't believe how vastly, hugely, mind- bogglingly big it is. I mean, you may think it's a long way down the road to the chemist's, but that's just peanuts to space.
                        Douglas Adams (Influential author)

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                        • #13
                          I once asked my school teacher if there was a magneto-gravitational force. A counterpart to gravity such as magnetic forces are to electical ones. He didn't have a clue what I was talking about - he was just a biology teacher trying to impersonate a physics teacher. .
                          One day Canada will rule the world, and then we'll all be sorry.

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                          • #14
                            Yeah, we had a biology teacher doing physics when i was 12/13 she was rubbish.

                            She would give you high marks for drawing the equipment well though. Wouldn't know about the laws of motion if they smacked her in the face
                            Space is big. You just won't believe how vastly, hugely, mind- bogglingly big it is. I mean, you may think it's a long way down the road to the chemist's, but that's just peanuts to space.
                            Douglas Adams (Influential author)

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                            • #15
                              Life is not measured by the number of breaths you take, but by the moments that take your breath away.
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                              He also hates Texans and Australians, he does diversify." ~ Braindead

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