[net.physics] Relativity

rtris (08/21/82)

Someone a while ago when all this was still in net.space, mentioned that
some basic experiment upon which general relativity was validated had proven
to be incorrect. I asked my physics student friend but, although he knew all
about monopoles and some other things that had been under discussion, he
hadn't heard of this. Could someone enlighten me?

							Ralph.

Hook@CMU-CS-A@sri-unix (11/24/82)

Doug,

I'm still really confused.  However, I don't want to clutter the Physics
mailing list with this stuff if everyone else understands it.  I guess
the best bet is for us to continue this discussion on the mailing list
until someone asks us to stop.  Sound fair?

Anyway, Hubble constant stuff aside...I don't understand this locality
principle.  I know a little bit about special relativity, but I don't
recall anything about locality.  What determines what is "local" & what
is not?  In particular, I'd like to know a little more about
extrapolation away from the local environment.  Help.

			--Hook

[By the way: can you suggest some good books covering this stuff?]

gwyn%brl-vld@sri-unix.UUCP (06/09/83)

From:      Doug Gwyn VLD/VMB <gwyn@brl-vld>

Your numbers look reasonably close at first glance.
Of course, time dilation is what explains the whole phenomenon.

I didn't assume total mass->energy conversion because I don't
know how to do this.  I do know how to build a chemical, ion,
or other "conventional" rocket.