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-----Original Message-----
From: phys-l-bounces@carnot.physics.buffalo.edu [mailto:phys-l-
bounces@carnot.physics.buffalo.edu] On Behalf Of John Mallinckrodt
Sent: Tuesday, November 08, 2011 10:21 AM
To: Forum for Physics Educators
Subject: Re: [Phys-l] definition of gravity
Robert Cohen wrote:
Follow-up question: does it matter whether I say "Earth's gravitationalfield" or "locally measured gravitational field"? For example, is it appropriate
to say the Earth's gravitational field is zero at the location of the space shuttle
orbit?
No, it isn't because that statement implies that the gravitational field is not
frame-dependent. However, the gravitational field IS zero in all freely falling
frames (which are necessarily "local," i.e. of sufficiently small extent to be
able to neglect spacetime curvature) by definition no matter where they are.
John Mallinckrodt
Cal Poly Pomona
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