Reference: Postulate Mechanics (PM)
In his 1938 book, The Evolution of Physics, Einstein pushed his realist approach to physics in defiance of much of quantum mechanics. He presented the discoveries in the subject of Physics as the great mystery story. He wrote in the chapter, The First Clue,
“A most fundamental problem, for thousands of years wholly obscured by its complications, is that of motion.”
Einstein went on to develop his theory of relativity. Today, we are finding out that there is a lot that Einstein wrote, which still needs to be explained better. The above chapter needs to be read thoroughly before the following can be fully understood.
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Motion, Inertia and Mass
When we consider a body at rest, it is relative to Earth. The body moves when it is pushed or pulled. Aristotle stated with great authority,
“The moving body comes to a standstill when the force which pushes it along can no longer so act as to push it.”
When Galileo experimented with moving bodies, he found,
“If no external forces act on a body, it moves uniformly, that is, always with the same velocity along a straight line.”
Galileo’s conclusion was formulated a generation later by Newton as the law of inertia.
“Every body continues in its state of rest, or of uniform motion in a right line, unless it is compelled to change that state by forces impressed upon it.”
Newton treated INERTIA as a qualitative property (resistance to change of motion) and MASS as its quantitative measure. Newton’s observation can more accurately be verified today by observing the motion of bodies in outer space where external force can be minimized.
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The State of Rest
In outer space, it is difficult to differentiate between uniform motion and a state of rest because there is no absolute reference point. In the absence of external forces, a state of rest can only be created by internal force. The only internal force that exists is inertia.
In an atom, the central nucleus has the greatest inertia. Relative to the surrounding electrons, the nucleus appears at a state of rest. Similarly, in the solar system, the central Sun has the greatest inertia. Relative to the surrounding planets, the Sun appears at a state of rest. This same pattern extends to the galaxy, where the central black hole appears at a state of rest relative to the surrounding stars. The mass and inertia of the black hole reaches an incomprehensible amount.
There may not be absolute state of rest, but a state of rest is approached as inertia and mass of a body approaches infinity.
Newton saw the stars in the sky at a state of rest because of their stable configurations. These configurations had extreme inertia. When one saw the heaven moving in a circle, it was obvious that the earth was rotating because starts themselves could not move that fast because of inertia. When the planets moved relative to the stars, it was obvious that they had less inertia.
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The Centeredness
Looking at a spinning top we know that the faster it spins, the more centered and stable it is in space. Each planet is spinning around its own axis. This makes them centered and stable at their locations in space. The system of planets revolves around their star. This makes the star system centered and stable at its locations in space. The system of stars revolve around the central black hole of the galaxy. This makes the galaxy centered and stable at its location in space.
We identify such rotational motion as the intrinsic motion of the body, and/or a system of bodies. This intrinsic motion exists all the way down to the level of atom and subatomic particles. Ultimately, it is the frequency of such cyclic motion that brings centeredness and stability to the substance of the universe. Gravity and other forces are a manifestation of these intrinsic forces. They keep the cosmos stable at all levels.
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Inertia and Uniform Velocity
Inertia provides a measure of the centeredness of a body. The higher is the centeredness in space, the greater is the inertia of the body. The uniform velocity of a body then provides a measure of a departure from centeredness of infinite inertia. Thus, the uniform velocity of a body can be determined in absolute terms from its inertia. Gravity is simply the inertia of a system of bodies.
In general, the greater is the inertia , the smaller is the uniform velocity; and the smaller is the inertia, the greater is the uniform velocity. There exists a balance between inertia and velocity. When the inertia is zero, the velocity shall be infinite.
By looking at the finite velocity of light, we can say that a light particle has inertia, and, therefore, mass, even when it is so small that it cannot be measured directly.
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Intrinsic Motion
We get the clue to intrinsic motion when we study the internal structure of the atom. The intrinsic motion is cyclic and the frequency of cycles at atomic level determines the very thickness, size, and centeredness of the particle. The reverse of centeredness manifests as the natural uniform velocity of the particle in space.
As the cycles of intrinsic motion approach an infinite value, the particle becomes extremely thick, small, and highly centered. It comes to an absolute state of rest.
On the other hand, as the cycles of intrinsic motion approach the value of zero, the particle becomes extremely thin, large and not centered at all. It acquires the state of infinite motion.
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Considerations
The major concepts introduced in Chapter 11 are INTRINSIC MOTION, REST and CENTEREDNESS. These concepts are defined in Glossary: Postulate Mechanics.
- A most fundamental problem is that of motion.
- A body has natural uniform velocity in absence of external forces.
- The uniform velocity is maintained by the internal force of inertia.
- Inertia is a measure of the centeredness of a particle in space.
- The centeredness comes from the internal rotation of the particle.
- This intrinsic motion is maintained by the thickness of substance.
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