Is the idea of "empty space" is pure illusion? Could this be why there is gravity?

Question

When you consider everything that you see as you look around, it becomes clear that you are being bombarded by a seemingly constant and infinite number of photons from every possible direction---not to mention any other massless particles that are NOT light. Any ONE particle will cause a pressure on contact, albeit barely there. But if you take into account the SUM TOTAL of such particles flying all over the universe, it wouldn't seem unreasonable that on a large enough scale that the SUM pressure exerted on any given object with mass may be large enough to result in what we see as GRAVITY. The amount of pressure this field of particles could exert would be dictated by the mass that these paricles hit. More mass, and the particles hit with a little more energy. Put a smaller mass next to a larger one and the acceleration caused by the larger mass will actually cause particles to push the smaller mass towards the next largest mass. The spacetime curve would be coincidental.

PS to Louis & Tito: I don't deny the existence of black holes...but the fact remains that they're not fully explained.
And even massless particles are affected by gravity...so a "particle pool" should be a bit more accelerated for an object of lesser mass within a proximity of a larger mass.
I think what I'm trying to get at here (perhaps poorly) is that what Einstein calls "space-time" is actually the EXACT same thing as this "particle pool".

Answer 1

I know of no reputable astrophyscists who claim space is empty. In fact, Brian Greene's "Fabric of the Cosmos" spends a lot of time talking about the stringy stuff that fills space. The Higgs Field is also a something that fills space according to some theories. Further, mass bends space, bent space has been observed; so it seems logical that space is a something (not a nothing) that can be bent. So your premise that space is not empty is widely accepted.

Although there are some short-lived massless quanta that can penetrate great distances, most cannot. And the great distances have limits. Even neutrinos have a limit on how deep they can penetrate a mass. Gravity, on the other hand, is not diminished by interceding mass. We are affected by measurable gravity in the deepest, darkest caves, for example. So none of the known and theoretical quanta, save one, exhibit the characteristics of gravity.

That one exception is the graviton, which is predicted by string/M theory. The graviton has never been observed; so its existence has never been proved.

So your supposition that the effects of gravity are due to bombardments of quanta of some sort does not generally stand up to the evidence. The one exception is the graviton, which is strictly theoretical and may not exist.

Answer 2

Louis is correct, gravity is a result of the warping of spacetime.

You could spend lots of money to perform a test (and this is a rough example I just thought up). Construct a hollow container (maybe cubical or spherical) of which the sides are constructed of thick dense materials hand picked to block out anything that may come into contact with it. So here we have a container that keeps out all light, and most any radiation (obviously lead or something in the design). The object has a vacuum inside, the air totally removed and is sealed shut with only 2 things inside.

The first thing is an object which you are testing gravity with, and the second a sensor instrument of some sort to gather results.

Then place the object in a special room that is equipped to cool objects to near absolute zero temperature. Test the object in both room temp and near absolute zero buy rotating the test container and the instrument will record the results.

Lastly you would cut the container open to be able to retrieve the test results.

I'm betting that you will see the object that had near zero external influence would still behave exactly like anything else that is not shielded (in the absence of an atmosphere).

Answer 3

The end result of a universal pressure becomes dependent upon the presence of a mass. Photons do not form pressure upon each other. It is not until high energy photons form into a mass (electrons) that photons have a potential of existing as anything other that photons - with the same unchanging energy value.

The force of gravity is a derivative mass/energy and therefore ultimately of electromagnetic energy. You can see in the physics trilogy (E = mc2, m = E/c2, and c2 = E/m) that the origin of this force exists only in the presence of mass. As either the mass or energy values change, so does the value of c2.

Answer 4

Space and time are the illusion of the perception of an observer with preconceived ideas. The thought of the observer is passed on to the "experiment instantaneously" therefore altering the out come to the experimentation of any give observance. The study magnetics for example. The old belief that opposites attract was pr oven false decades ago yet this so called theory is now an outdated hypothesis. Move beyond the dogma that limits the Truth and all wisdom is yours my friend. Visit quantum mechanics,physics etc., string theories. By being willing to the truth it shall present it's self. It is already all around you it is that your perceptions are limited therefore the observation is skewed.
No thing is still some thing just because you can not prove it it does not mean it is not of existance. You just need to be willing to go beyond your comfort zone of receiving information. Einstein received E=mc2 in a dream.

Answer 5

Your idea sounds good, but you didn't take into account that in most cases, objects are bombarded by massless particles from MANY directions at once, tending to cancel their forces out. Gravity is a property of mass alone, and its effects would be felt even in a chamber permitting no light or other massless particles to enter - even neutrinos.

Answer 6

According to Einstein, gravity is the effect we see due to the warping of spacetime. All objects with mass warp space time.

If your description was true, it does not leave room for black holes to exist and they do infact exist.

Answer 7

In theoretical physics, the nonsymmetric gravitational concept (NGT) of John Moffat is a classical concept of gravitation which tries to describe the commentary of the flat rotation curves of galaxies. frequently relativity, the gravitational container is characterised via a symmetric rank-2 tensor, the metric tensor. the opportunity of generalizing the metric tensor has been seen via many, inclusive of Einstein and others. A ordinary (nonsymmetric) tensor can consistently be decomposed right into a symmetric and an antisymmetric area. because of the fact the electromagnetic container is characterised via an antisymmetric rank-2 tensor, there is an glaring threat for a unified concept: a nonsymmetric tensor composed of a symmetric area representing gravity, and an antisymmetric area that represents electromagnetism. learn in this direction ultimately proved fruitless; the needed classical unified container concept became no longer got here upon. In 1979, Moffat made the commentary that the antisymmetric area of the generalized metric tensor choose no longer inevitably signify electromagnetism; it may desire to symbolize a sparkling, hypothetical tension. Later, in 1995, Moffat observed that the sphere corresponding with the antisymmetric area choose no longer be massless, like the electromagnetic (or gravitational) fields. In its unique form, the theory could be volatile, inspite of the undeniable fact that this has in basic terms been shown in terms of the linearized version. in the susceptible container approximation the place interplay between fields isn't taken into consideration, NGT is characterised via a symmetric rank-2 tensor container (gravity), an antisymmetric tensor container, and a persevering with characterizing the mass of the antisymmetric tensor container. The antisymmetric tensor container is got here upon to fulfill the equations of a Maxwell-Proca super antisymmetric tensor container. This led Moffat to propose Metric Skew Tensor Gravity (MSTG), wherein a skew symmetric tensor container postulated as area of the gravitational action. a extra present day version of MSTG, wherein the skew symmetric tensor container became replaced via a vector container, is Scalar-tensor-vector gravity (STVG). STVG, like Milgrom's changed Newtonian Dynamics (MOND), can clarify flat rotation curves of galaxies. i will understand approximately as various this as i could desire to as quickly as I examine you link. the factor is that gravity, no be counted what we ultimately study approximately it, will nonetheless be referred to as Gravitational concept.

Answer 8

Nope. If what you said where the case, we would be repelled from massive stars by photon pressure instead of attracted by gravity. And we don't observe this happening.

Answer 9

in space there is empty spacespace is a near perfict vacuum meaning there is nothing in it
if you had a jar with one gas particle in it it would move fast and be in every spot of the jar "at once"
the particle isn't actually in all the places at once but it move so fast it basiclly is
space is like a big jar with just a few particles in it, though the particles are moving extremly fast they cant be in all the places at once creating the "empty" spaces in space