Physics: Why is gravity considered a force and not merely a topological artifact of the curvature of space ?

Question

As I understand current thinking, in quantum mechanics a force occurs through particle exchange so gravity should exhibit particle exchange. But in relativity gravity is explained as motion along the curvature of spacetime. Can't the dilemma be resolved by saying gravity is not a true force but just appears to be one (action at a distance) through an artifact of space curvature?

Answer 1

Because gravity itself causes the curvature. Gravity is not "movement along the curvature of spacetime", rather that movement describes an object moving along a gravitationally bound trajectory, like a comet or a planet.

Gravity is (very probably) also subject to quantum rules, and also uses particle exchange to mediate the force. These particles, called gravitons, are believed to exist but have not yet been confirmed experimentally.

Answer 2

The hypothetical exchange particle for gravity is called a graviton. The exchange particle for electricity and magnetism is a photon. Exchange particles of all kind are virtual, which means they are action-limited.

In the virtual photon's case: you can't detect it directly with your eye, nor with optical equipment, nor with a photograph. You can detect it only with something that measures changes in electric or magnetic fields, such as by registering the pushes or pulls on electrically charged bits in the measuring device.

That is also how we detect gravitons: by the pulls they have on mass-charged bits.

All forces "curve space," but gravity is a single-pole force that does not, as far as I know, have any opposite gravitational "charge" to form dipoles with. That's why gravity's influence accumulates to the point where it dominates the physics of large material systems, including the universe itself.

Matter acts on space with the potential energy of gravitons, rather than directly on other matter. But that other matter must also interact with the curves that have previously been imposed on space. I think that you might be able to treat any force in that way, but the math is harder. The effect is similar to mass acting on mass, in which case the math is simpler.

Still, there's nothing stopping you from learning general relativity, and then figuring out how to refit it to work for other forces. If you do this, you might want to contemplate some notion of quantum curvature. Maybe when curvatures get really, really tight, they can only occur in quantized "curvature states." (I've no idea whether that's true or not, but I'm on a roll and wanted to get it on record that I thought of it.)

Answer 3

Without mass, and the gravity it causes, there would be no curvature of space. An artifact is a man made thing,the term can't apply in this situation.

Answer 4

Gravity is considered a force in classical, Newtonian mechanics. However, it is NOT considered a force from a general relativistic point of view. It instead warps spacetime, and therefore affects the motion of particles - but not through a force.

Answer 5

The fact that gravity can be understood geometrically in terms of the curvature of space-time, it doesn't follow that gravitation is not a force. It just tells you about the nature of this particular force.

Answer 6

That is basically what relativity does. But how do you calculate it? The usual way is F=GMm/r^2, which considers it a force. If you have a way to calculate how fast a rock will fall when I drop it without using F=MA, where the F is calculated from GMm/r^2, then you should publish that.

Anyway, Einstein never did like quantum mechanics.

Answer 7

scientific concept works via making a style. The style does no better than describe fact. It does not persist with that by way of fact Einstein's style of mass distorting area behaves like gravity then that's what gravity is. this is. in spite of the undeniable fact that if we detect a gravitational consequence that's inconsistent with the assumption of warping area, then the assumption is misguided! The absence of contradicting information does not advise that the assumption is optimal. you may on no account comprehend that.

Answer 8

Well, No because it can't Not Act. Also it effects all in it's sphere action. Even in monitoring.