From: Steven Eiger (eiger@montana.edu)
Date: Fri Nov 10 2000 - 09:37:40 PST
Message-Id: <l03102800b631e01649a3@[153.90.150.107]> Date: Fri, 10 Nov 2000 10:37:40 -0700 From: Steven Eiger <eiger@montana.edu> Subject: Re: pinhole Why does the earth exert a large gravitational force on more massive objects?
Jhumki; Lets say we do not know why things pull on one another, which we
don't, but it is logical to imagine that if each bit of mass pulls on
others that more bits will result in more pull, in both directions. It is
just addition; with quanta of mass. So once we accept gravity, then the
jump up to bigger gravity is easier. I drew some pairs of dots on a
paper, first two dots, mM is 1; then two pairs, mM is 4 each dot on a side
interacts with the two on the other side; then a pair of three dots on a
side, again, same result. Quantizing the interactions makes it easy to
see. Eiger
>We have been discussing Newton's 2nd Law in my Conceptual Physics class.
>Yesterday we discussed the fact that the earth pulls more on more massive
>objects but that they also have more inertia, so more massive objects
>accelerate due to gravity the same amount as less massive objects.
>
>A student asked why the earth exerts a greater gravitational force on more
>massive objects than on less massive objects, and I responded using Newton's
>3rd Law. A book pulls more on the earth than a paper does, and since each
>force has a reaction pair that is equal and opposite, the force of the earth
>on the book is greater than the force of the earth on the paper.
>
>But I am not so satisfied with my answer. I feel that I avoided the essence
>of her question. Any thoughts?
>
>Jhumki Basu
Steven Eiger, Ph.D.
Department of Cell Biology and Neuroscience and the WWAMI Medical Education
Program
PO Box 173148
Montana State University - Bozeman
Bozeman, MT 59717-3148
Voice: (406) 994-5672
E-mail: eiger@montana.edu
FAX: (406) 994-7077
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