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From: james@reality1.UUCP (james)
Newsgroups: sci.physics
Subject: Re: A Question
Message-ID: <51@reality1.UUCP>
Date: Sun, 26-Oct-86 01:34:31 EST
Article-I.D.: reality1.51
Posted: Sun Oct 26 01:34:31 1986
Date-Received: Mon, 27-Oct-86 01:04:26 EST
References: <230@sri-arpa.ARPA>
Reply-To: james@reality1.UUCP (james)
Organization: Reality Computer Systems, Austin TX
Lines: 16

In article <230@sri-arpa.ARPA> JDM%SMVL%rca.com@CSNET-RELAY.ARPA writes:
>   o  Given the old "accellerating-elevator-in-space" experiment,
>      how can one within the elevator tell the whether he is
>      accellerating or under the influence of gravity?

Well, in the elevator, the force would be exactly perpendicular to the floor
of the elevator, whereas in an elevator on earth would always have the force
aimed slightly towards the center of the elevator due to the shape of the
gravitational field.  But I think that this question is exactly what general
relativity is all about: I think one of the central thrusts was that you
couldn't tell inertia from gravity.  You could determine the shape of the
field but not any other difference (which brings up the question of whether
or not you could construct a gravity field where the force was perpendicular
to the floor - I would think so).
-- 
James R. Van Artsdalen    ...!ut-ngp!utastro!osi3b2!james    "Live Free or Die"