- #1
soothsayer
- 423
- 5
We all know that in general relativity, there is the idea that the gravitational force and accelerating reference frames are very closely related. In GR, gravity acts through distortions of the space-time continuum, which causes phenomena such as redshift and time dilation.
My question is this: how come the electromagnetic and nuclear forces aren't thought of along the same lines? What experiment could we do to determine the difference between an accelerating frame and a frame acted on by a uniform electric field? How come the other forces aren't thought of as being caused by some distortion of space and time, yielding things such as electromagnetic time dilation? Does it have to do with gravity's ability to attract all things with energy, regardless of charge, flavor, color, etc.? Lastly, whatever this fundamental difference is that separates gravity from the rest in these regards, how are they handled in current attempts at unified field theories?
Thanks for humoring me!
- Sooth
My question is this: how come the electromagnetic and nuclear forces aren't thought of along the same lines? What experiment could we do to determine the difference between an accelerating frame and a frame acted on by a uniform electric field? How come the other forces aren't thought of as being caused by some distortion of space and time, yielding things such as electromagnetic time dilation? Does it have to do with gravity's ability to attract all things with energy, regardless of charge, flavor, color, etc.? Lastly, whatever this fundamental difference is that separates gravity from the rest in these regards, how are they handled in current attempts at unified field theories?
Thanks for humoring me!
- Sooth