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Re: Gravitational Capacity ?



PHYS-L@lists.nau.edu writes:
WHAT FOLLOWS IS PROBABLY NONSENSE. BUT LET
ME POST IT ANYWAY.

What is a meaningful gravitational analogy of epsilon?

I do not think it is nonsense. In my teaching IB Physics I am to use a
concept of Gravitational Potential, V=GM/R. This is analagous to electric
potential to be sure. Until I started with IB, I had never heard of this
concept (I graduated an EE.). I did not think it very useful, unlike in
electricity where the fields are so flexible and variable.

A gavitational version of epsilon might well have arisen had there been a
real need, but our experience with gravity fields of significance has been
with one of such predictablity and uniformity of shape that having a tool
to deal with "gavacity" has not been needed. To create one to show the
similarity of the field mathematices is interesting, but is it going to be
a useful construct?

I will wait for wiser heads to log in on this.

Ken Fox
AP/IB Physics Teacher
Smoky Hill High School
Aurora, CO