Is gravity a pulling force or a pushing force?

Question

I was just reading this article at http://bioch.szote.u-szeged.hu/astrojan/gravity.htm and i am interested in what others think.

Answer 1

Neither and both. A gravitational source doesn't actually pull anything towards it. It causes space itself to warp. Objects encountering that warped space will follow the curvature just like a metal ball swirling down the inside of a funnel.

If the object doesn't fall into the gravitational source, it will either swing by it and be caught in an orbit around it or it'll be flung back out into space, which might be seen as a "pushing" force.

Answer 2

You can't really say that gravity is a pushing or pulling force. Those are relative terms and have little place when discussing physics. You might could say both because gravity can be repulsive also, causing a "push" away from a center mass instead of a "pulling" towards of a center mass. Einstein predicted some form of repulsive gravity some 80 years before it was experimentally proven, I believe proven by Alan Guth and Henry Tye but I could be wrong on the names.

Answer 3

That website is a load of rubbish spouted by an amateur "scientist" with no understanding of physics whatsoever. You should get physics information from a reputable source, not from every wacko who claims they've overturned the theory of gravity.

As for your question, think about the difference between a "push" and a "pull.

When we categorize something as a "push", what we mean is that the thing doing the pushing is "behind" the thing being pushed. That is, a pushing force makes the pushed object move further away from the pusher.

When we categorize something as a "pull", what we mean is that the thing doing the pulling is "in front of" the thing being pulled. A pulling force makes the pulled object move closer to the puller.

If you think about this in relation to the Earth, it becomes clear that the Earth is pulling us closer to itself. When we jump, we are quickly pulled back down by gravity.

Gravity is, therefore, a pulling force.

Answer 4

gravity is defined as a force that pulls everything towards the centre of the earth... based on that definition, i'd have to say that gravity is a pulling force... you can have something behind you and pull you down, as well as push you up...

Answer 5

Technically, neither. In Einstein's General Relativity, a falling body is actually travelling a geodestic in a curved spacetime, meaning that it moves along the path of maximum spacetime interval (fastest proper time). It just feels like we're being pulled, and one can try to argue that we're being pushed, but both are simply constructs of the mind and perception.

Answer 6

As I defy Gravity quite regularly, I would say "Pulling Force". IF it WAS a "Pushing Force", one would fall UP!

Answer 7

i dont know, cause you can be pulled to planet in space from its force of gravity, but your constantly being pushed when in the atmosphere. good question

Answer 8

In Newtonian mechanics, it is a pulling stress. in many situations relativity, it is a warping of area-time. some theorists attempting to describe the reason for gravity believe there are tiny gravitons, transferring many situations swifter than easy, pushing on all factors of massive gadgets; the gadgets colour one yet another from gravitons so the gravitons push the two gadgets in the direction of one yet another.

Answer 9

the law of gravitation states that objects "attract" each other with a force. so you are being pulled to the center of the earth, so its a downward force.

Answer 10

There is no concept of "pushing" or "pulling" in physics. It's just a force.

That web site is so much bafflegab.