(updated 2012/07/08 by JT)
Questions (Speculative questions seeking to expand or refute possible mechanics for natures mysterious force of momentum):
- What might cause some particles to strongly resist changes in motion? (momentum forces modeled by the Higgs field and Higgs boson)
- Why do some sub-atomic particles have virtually no resistance to changes in motion? (why are some particles said to consist of energy but not mass?)
- Do sub-atomic particles resist changes in motion based on properties of their spin? A gyroscope resists changes in motion relative to the strength of the centrifugal forces it generates the faster it spins. Is it coincidental that spins are fundamentally different between massive particles (bosons with integer spins) and massless particles (fermions with fractional spins)?
- Does Momentum = Rest Mass * Centrifugal Force? (If sub-atomic mass is defined as resistance to change in motion, then why shouldn't we calculate the mass of a spinning wheel as double its rest mass if it is spinning fast enough to have double the resistance to change in motion? Has the energy of the wheel increased to 2 * rest mass * c2, or have we just given the wheel double the momentum but only increased the energy by a relatively minuscule amount? Can the theoretical maximum momentum of the wheel be calculated as the energy of the wheel at rest [rest mass * c2] divided by the amount of energy needed to double the momentum of the wheel?)
- Could "empty" space be filled with massive amounts of energy that generate a ubiquitous gravity field (General Relativity style gravity, warping of space and time such that the dense energy of space "pulls" in all directions at once, creating a field that resists changes in motion).
Assumptions: Assumed that general relativity theory is valid and some form of Higgs field exists (field, energy or ether [aether] fills "empty" space).
Discussion: General Relativity theory teaches that acceleration forces and gravitational forces are the same force.
- A free-falling object on Earth accelerates at approximately 9.81 m/s2 toward Earth, and experiences no gravity (no acceleration forces). The object experiences the same forces (none) as it would if the object were in space and not accelerating (no acceleration forces).
- An object standing-still on Earth, is effectively accelerating away from Earth at 9.8 m/s2. According to General Relativity theory, if the same object was accelerated at 9.8 m/s2 in empty space, it would experience the same force as it would by standing still on Earth, and the forces are actually caused by the same mechanism (change in motion at a constant rate of acceleration, otherwise know as acceleration forces).
Relativity teaches that mass warps space time, causing the effect known as gravity (standing still in a gravity well is equivalent to accelerating away from the source of gravity). Relativity also teaches that mass and energy are interchangeable. It follows that a very dense energy field should be expected to generate an equally dense gravity field.
If space is filled with ether, and ether is composed of a very dense energy field, then if energy warps space time in the same what mass warps space time (based on the theory of General Relativity) then the ether should impart a gravitational pull on all objects in space. The effect of this gravitational pull might be expected to resistance to changes in motion (a possible mechanism for a field to resist changes in motion as the Higgs theory predicts should exist).
The Gyroscope effect: Why do some particles of similar energy have very large masses, and some particles have (virtually) zero mass? Is it possible that particles may act like tiny gyroscopes, the more rapidly they spin, the greater their resistance to changes in motion, and the greater their measured mass? Unknown, this concept may be fundamentally flawed or may be worth more investigation.
Conclusions: None, just speculative questions.
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