Re: FORCES (in ropes, rodes, etc.)

[Leigh Palmer <palmer@sfu.ca>]

> Is it also bad physics to say that "forces are transmitted" (when
> applied through rods, ropes and pistons)?  Why yes? Why not? The "why"
> part of a reply, as pointed out by Tom, is the most important!

Forces *can* be looked upon as being transmitted, but again there is a
danger of reification. For example, if one thinks about the gravitational
force as being transmitted then one must accept the fact that it is
transmitted at speeds much greater than that of light. One way out of
this dilemma is to treat gravitational forces as local forces rather than
action at a distance. Mechanical forces transmitted through rods, ropes
and the like "travel" as waves without engendering the paradoxes we see
when considering gravitational forces.

Leigh