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Reference: Postulate Mechanics (PM)

The universe is constructed out of postulates. When we talk about the universe, we include in it individuality and Self that basically reduce to awareness. Awareness may also be found in other entities in the universe to different degrees. 

The ultimate experience of universe is described in the Vedic philosophy as SAT-CHIT-ANANDA. This may be presented as the postulates of Substantiality-Awareness-Oneness.

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Substantiality (SAT)

The universe can be sensed and known, therefore, it is substantial. In other words, the universe must be made of substance. The degree of substantiality may be denoted by the “thickness” of substance. It is visible as density, firmness, viscosity, etc. 

The substance of the universe may be divided into the following categories: (1) Matter, (2) Radiation, and (3) Thought. Science may not accept radiation and thought as “substance”; but, these are considered “substance” in Postulate Mechanics because they are substantial enough to be sensed and known.

Matter has the most thickness called “mass.” Radiation is considered to have no mass, but it still has thickness, which is sensed mostly as motion or “energy” and measured as “frequency.” Thought has thickness that is sensed mentally instead of physically, and it may be measured as “heaviness.” For example, hate has much more thickness than love. Fixed ideas have much more thickness than a fleeting thought.

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Awareness (CHIT)

Awareness arises as we sense the universe. Sensations assimilate into perceptions, memories, experience and knowledge. All knowledge assimilates, ultimately, into knowingness. Pure awareness is based on total assimilation.

Identification is superficial awareness that is limited to labels and symbolisms. It is memory intensive as there is little assimilation.

Knowingness is deep and intuitive awareness resulting from total assimilation. It does not require memory. It operates on an instantaneous basis.

Assimilation resolves lack of awareness. Awareness increases from identification to knowingness. In knowingness one is fully aware of all phenomena.

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Oneness (ANANDA)

“Ananda” means bliss, but that is just an aspect of oneness. Essential elements of oneness are harmony, consistency and continuity. For example, in oneness, both observer and observed are in complete harmony.

Bliss, rationality. beauty, health, etc., arise from oneness. In fact, everything that is positive, arises from oneness.

Oneness may be compared to a state in which everything is in equilibrium. When oneness is disturbed there is a natural effort to restore that equilibrium. Assimilation is the process that restores the equilibrium.

The word UNIVERSE literally means, “all things combined into one.” In Postulate Mechanics, this implies that

All elements of the universe are in a dynamic harmony, consistency and continuity with each other at all times.

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Reference: Postulate Mechanics (PM)

Postulate Mechanics is an effort to understand the fundamentals of this universe. Its basic postulates are:

1. The fundamental impulse is to know.
2. Effort to know starts with a postulate.
3. Assimilation of postulates brings enlightenment.

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Postulate

A postulate is a basic assumption, taken as true, which is then used to derive the rest of the theory. For example, Einstein postulated that the speed of light is a universal constant. He used this postulate (and others) to derive his theory of relativity. The purpose of generating a theory is to explain and organize what we observe, to unify many separate facts into a coherent model, and to guide prediction, research, and action. 

Postulate serves as a foundational premise for further reasoning. It is through postulates, which follow observations, that knowledge develops. The postulates must be harmonious, consistent and continuous among themselves for sensible knowledge to develop. Ordinary assumptions are lower harmonics of postulates. Such assumptions either get revised upwards into postulates, or simply get dropped, as knowledge comes to be assimilated over time.

Assimilation means bringing harmony to knowledge by removing all inconsistencies. It also means researching and making discoveries in those areas where gaps exist in knowledge.

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Oneness, Anomalies & Misconceptions

The ideal scene of knowledge is ONENESS of all postulates, reasoning, and theories. Departures from this ideal scene appears in the form of disharmony (arbitrary data), inconsistency (contradictory data), or discontinuity (missing data). We refer to such departures as anomalies.

The basic form of anomalies are misconceptions. Misconceptions at the level of postulates corrupt the logic of reasoning, and the workability of theories. Resolution of misconceptions at the level of postulates is an important part of the assimilation of knowledge. The resolution of misconceptions and other anomalies lies at the core of Postulate Mechanics.

A very basic misconception is about the nature of self. “Who am I?” is a genuine concern for every person as he develops his understanding. He looks for answers in the universe and derives his identity from the things in it. Enlightenment occurs when he realizes his true nature. Further enlightenment occurs as he realizes the true nature of the universe.

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Postulate Mechanics

The purpose of Postulate Mechanics is to investigate the nature of self and the universe, and to assimilate all knowledge. It attempts to do that by going back to the original postulates and resolving anomalies at that level.

Postulate Mechanics attempts to reveal the mechanics of “thought,” just like Classical Mechanics reveals the mechanics of “matter,” and Quantum Mechanics reveals the mechanics of “energy.”

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Reference: Postulate Mechanics (PM)

Newton’s own definition of MASS in his Principia is: “The quantity of matter is the measure of the same, arising from its density and bulk jointly.” In modern notation that is , i.e., mass equals density times volume. In everyday and much of classical physics, mass is thought of as “how much matter” an object has. 

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Classical Mechanics

In classical mechanics, mass is looked upon as a fundamental property of physical objects that measures how much they resist changes in their motion (their inertia) and how strongly they participate in gravitational interactions. 

Inertial mass measures resistance to acceleration when a force is applied (the mass in F= ma). Gravitational mass appears in the law of gravitation and measures how strongly an object creates and responds to gravitational fields. These two types of mass are assumed to be the same because change in mass is undetectable when motion changes. 

In free fall (Einstein’s elevator experiment) if objects drift away from each other after some time, then it would mean that gravitational mass is not exactly the same as inertial mass. But this difference is extremely small. This equivalence of inertial and gravitational mass forms the basis of general relativity.

Mass is quantified more precisely by how hard it is to accelerate it. If the same force produces less acceleration, the object has more mass.

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Postulate Mechanics

In general, mass is viewed to add up in terms of some atomic unit, whether such units are assembled tightly or loosely. Mass exists as an assembly of atoms and molecules. In this view mass is strongly associated with atoms of matter. However, this view starts to change as we look at subatomic particles and radiation.

Mass represents the thickness of substance. Inside the atom, this mass is highest at the center of the atom, and it dilutes towards the periphery of the atom. This dilution of mass occurs as the layers of substance around the center increase in volume. This dilution of mass was described brilliantly by Faraday in terms of “lines of force.” These lines start from the center of the atom and spread out in space, thinning in that process. There is no limit to which these lines can thin out.

Subatomic particles are made up of diluted mass. The more diluted is the mass, the larger is the size of the subatomic particle. Ultimate dilution of mass takes place in radiation, such that its mass is considered to be zero. But, by this logic, the size of the radiation particle would be very large.

We may assess the size of a matter, subatomic or radiation particle by its wavelength. The “wavelength” may provide a measure of the circumference of the particle. The “frequency” may provide a measure of how fast that particle is spinning. The faster the particle is spinning the more centered it is in space, similar to a spinning top or a gyroscope. This centeredness then expresses itself as the inertia of the particle. This inertia is then measured as mass. 

So, the radiation may not have “mass,” but it has inertia that influences the linear motion of the particle. For example, the speed of light is very large but it is still finite because it has some inertia. This inertia is the intrinsic mass.

The idea of intrinsic mass is thus tied strongly to the ideas of intrinsic motion, centeredness, and inertia. Actually, these concepts are so much tied together that they cannot be separated. The higher the mass the smaller is the velocity as in case of the black hole at the center of a galaxy. The smaller is the mass the higher is the velocity as in case of light.

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Inertia & Gravity

LAW OF INERTIA: Inertia is the internal force that resides in the particle. This internal force is continuous, whereas, the external forces are intermittent. Therefore, this internal force prevails in the long run. Inertia not only keeps the motion uniform but it also brings the uniform velocity in balance with the mass.

LAW OF GRAVITY: Gravity is the law of inertia applied to a system of bodies. All the bodies in a system maintain a dynamic balance due to their inertia.

Thus, mass and velocity of a particle seem to “balance” each other in a dynamic manner. This equilibrium may be called “inertia” for a single particle, and “gravity” for a system of particles. This view may redefine both inertia and gravity as dynamic internal forces, and not some passive phenomena.

The classical view of these concepts has not been changed. It is simply enhanced. For example, when a particle is pushed to a higher velocity and let go, instead of keep moving uniformly at that higher velocity, its velocity is adjusted by the internal force of inertia. In case of a system of particles, the velocity is dynamically adjusted by the internal forces of inertia, now seen as gravity.

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Force

In Postulate Mechanics there are no external forces. An “external” force is the “internal” force of a larger system. When there is an “external” pull or push on a particle, the particle has become part of a larger system, and being subjected to its internal forces.

When the internal forces of a particle are in equilibrium, we have inertia and mass of the particle. When the internal forces of a system of particles are in equilibrium, we have gravity and “mass” of the system.

From the viewpoint of the Universe, there is no external force. The universe is all that there is. IT IS ONE!

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Considerations

No new concepts are introduced in Chapter 12; instead existing concepts are further refined. These concepts are defined in Glossary: Postulate Mechanics.

1. In Physics, the concept of mass is not explained fully.
2. Mass is tied with the concepts of intrinsic motion, centeredness and inertia.
3. The uniform velocity is maintained by the internal force of inertia.
4. Inertia acts as the internal force of a particle that restores equilibrium.
5. Gravity acts as a similar internal force for a system of particles.
6. Mass is a quantitative measure of these internal forces.

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