great chat tonigth

[Sombrero]

there are seemingly some very inteligent people posting on here,, so i would love to get an idae of the difference between gravity and mangetizm... any thoughts?

 

[doitall]

I assume you mean between Gravity and Magnetism

One attracts all things and doesn't have poles.

 

[securespark]

One of the few things that doesn't have Poles.

 

[sooey]

One attracts all things and doesn't have poles.

That's right, gravity always attracts, never repels, unlike the other forces, which tend to cancel out. That's why although it's by far the weakest of the known forces it's the one that shapes the universe.

 

[chapeau]

Well I'm not sure gravity always attracts but that's not because I understand why. There has to be an explanation for why the universe appears to be expanding at a greater rate and several theories have been put forward including this dark matter and dark energy which has a repulsive force. Maybe gravity making hills in space/time instead of depressions?

As for gravity and magnetism, two different forces. However the greatest minds have been trying to unify all these forces into a single equation. Einstein tried his best but didn't make it. I remember a horizon programme back in early 1970s which said they had done it when they found quarks were the smallest things but obviously they got that a little wrong.

 

[joe-90]

Did you see Horizon last night?

 

[sooey]

Well I'm not sure gravity always attracts but that's not because I understand why.

Take it from just about every scientist who ever lived since Newton.
No one has ever observed gravity repelling under any conditions, which is just as well or we may find ourselves floating off into space all of a sudden. It also acts over long distance, which is also why it's the dominant force over large scales.

There has to be an explanation for why the universe appears to be expanding at a greater rate and several theories have been put forward including this dark matter and dark energy which has a repulsive force. Maybe gravity making hills in space/time instead of depressions?

That's why they've hypothesised "dark energy" true. Einstein started it, he called it the cosmological constant.

 

[EddieM]

Did you see Horizon last night?

yes don't start on that..... confused ....... yes very!!!