[time-nuts] Pendulums and Atomic Clocks and Gravity :probably more than you want to know...

[Bill Beam]

On Sat, 02 Jun 2007 11:53:18 +1200, Dr Bruce Griffiths wrote:

>Bill Beam wrote:
>> Mike,
>>
>> I was afraid someone would say 'Riemann tensor'
>> The problem with the Riemann tensor is that I don't
>> think that anyone here can write in down in detail
>> for this problem (let alone solve it).  I surely can not.
>>
>> I also don't think that anyone here is ready for the
>> idea that there is no such thing as gravitational force,
>> and that in the absence of any other force everything
>> is in free fall.  World lines and geodesics, oh my!
>> (inside joke).
>>
>>   
>Surely its not necessary to write down the detailed Riemann Tensor for 
>this simple case?

Not with Keplers laws available.  (As stated.)

>Surely the Schwarzchild metric is a good approximation to situation of a 
>test mass orbiting the Earth?

Keplers second law is good enough.

>If so, then perhaps the methods espoused by Wheeler can be used to 
>derive the orbits?

In every case where I have reinvented the wheel it has come out
round with a hole in the center for the axle.  I don't do wheels anymore.

Bill

>
>Bruce
>


Bill Beam
NL7F





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