Re: A weighty subject

[Joel Rauber <Joel_Rauber@SDSTATE.EDU>]

One (you folks should be so lucky) further comment on John's writings
> For me, it is because there is no satisfactory operational way to
> determine whether or not you are in a so-called "inertial
> frame."

I should've picked up on this aspect; as I've repeatedly preached this in
several other contexts on this list.  Mea Culpa

> This is because I want weight to be tied to the gravitational
> (i.e., net
> inertial) force as measured in a frame in which the object is not
> accelerating.  That force is equal in magnitude to the net
> *non*gravitational force which is often easier to determine.

This phrase helps me a lot; perhaps it is better to say "weight tied to net
inertial force as measured  . . ." and leave out the "gravitational", as I
view gravitational forces as being a subset of inertial forces. But this is
minor quibbling.

Joel