[Physics] Physics Digest, Vol 27, Issue 1

[Arend Lammertink]

Hi CJ,

This is an interesting idea, but perhaps a bit impractical. You may
want to consider using capacitive displacement sensors:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Capacitive_displacement_sensor

"Capacitive displacement sensors can be used to measure the position
of objects down to the nanometer level."

Seems that you could reduce your proposed kilometer by orders of
magnitude that way. Of course, that would make the construction much
more sensitive to vibrations, etc. but at first glance it seems to me
the required dimensions could be substantially scaled down for this
idea to try, but perhaps I'm missing something.

Best regards,

Arend.


On Fri, May 1, 2020 at 5:01 PM <cj at mb-soft.com> wrote:
>
> Your group makes some assumptions which most of us theoretical Physicists
> would avoid.  A few years ago, I described a fairly simple experiment that
> would confirm/deny that gravitation travels faster/slower.
>
> I had described a kilometer deep (extremely vertical) borehole, possibly
> near the Equator.  No one seems to have ever thought about what seems
> obvious to me.
>
> Hang a slim pendulum inside it, one metric ton.  And include several
> 45-angle mirrors to the sides of the pendulum bob.  Use conventional laser
> interferometers to precisely monitor the exact position of the bob in the
> borehole.
>
> Newton had pointed out that Gravitation is a Vector quantity.  At the moment
> of moonrise at that location, the gravitational attraction of the Moon is
> exactly horizontAl (through the Earth) and the Moon causes the pendulum to
> be attracted, toward the East, with a force of 0.03317902 newton, which
> pulls the bob horizontally toward the East by about 3.38561456 millimeters.
> Roughly 12.5 hours later, it is moonset, and the Moon's gravitation pulls
> the pendulum westward roughlly the same distance.  The laser inteerferometry
> and mirrors is accurate enough to monitor that gravitational attraction of
> the Moon, every minute, every hour, and every day, where massive data can be
> collected.
>
> Data analysis can determine whether the gravitational attraction operates at
> the speed of light or whatever other speed.  It would certainly make clear
> if the velocity of gravitation changes by a factor of 1.5.
>
> Eveen better data should be available if both the Moon and Sun gravitational
> Vector effects are monitored.  For example, it may be possible to monitor if
> gravitation due to the Sun gets here sooner or later when we are at
> Perihelion or Aphelion   (a fraction of a second)
>
> IF there are (vector) gravitational waves from distant massive bodies, this
> equipment should be accurate enough to monitor the timing as the Earth
> rotates every day.  (I have my personal doubts about whether that could be
> measurred, as I see the math showing that such gravitational waves seem to
> be based on wavelengths of around 3 billion light years, and therefore
> probably beyond our ability to measure.
>
> http://mb-soft.com/public4/gravmoon.html
>
> Carl Johnson
>
>
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