[Physics] About the equivalence principle
Ilja Schmelzer
ilja.schmelzer at googlemail.com
Sat Nov 5 19:00:14 CET 2016
> When watching a piece of lead and a piece of wood fall, they appear to fall in
> exactly the same manner. They do not. The lead actually falls faster, but the
> difference in acceleration is so minute that it cannot easily be measured, and
> can be ignored for all practical purposes.
Fine. But this is not an error in GR. Because it is well-known that
in the usual formulation you have used the Equivalence Principle is
only an approximation. It applies only as far as the Earth can be
approximated by a constant gravitational field. And, as well, only as
far as this field is not disturbed by the test particles considered.
So, if you have a mass of the size of the Earth, it attracts the Earth
itself too and distorts the issue.
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