I thank you all for your thoughtful and helpful comments.
I agree that the "rocket exhaust" does not impact the Equivalence of the two scenarios. In fact I'm counting on it.
Imagine the rocket (or elevator) on the surface of a large mass. Inside the rocket you feel acceleration, let's just...
Hi,
Let me re-phrase: Assume a point mass and a single instant ( or infinitely short time period). Velocity is zero, but there is acceleration. I agree it is impossible to tell if the acceleration comes from the gravity of a local mass or from a local force. The point mass can't tell.
What...
Hi,
In Einstein's famous elevator experiment, someone in the elevator cannot tell if the acceleration they experience is from the gravity of a nearby large mass, or from their own change of velocity under the influence of some external force.
But if there is an external force accelerating...