AliceInPhysics Publications

Energy Principles

Principle of Forces

Han Erim

30 August 2011

Copyright © 2011 Han Erim All Rights Reserved.

The Principle of Forces shows the close relationship between the gravitational force (g) and the classical force (a). Albert Einstein made use of this relationship when he formulated the Principle of Equivalence, and indeed this Principle of Forces is also based on his work on the Principle of Equivalence. However, the Principle of Forces expresses this relationship in a much stronger way and carries it to a more advanced level. Whether now or in the future, these two principles will always be very important for physics.

I first published the Principle of Forces in 2005 inside the Alice Law Version 5 program. When the topic of Energy Principles came up, I felt the need to publish it again. But I thought it would not be right to publish it with its old content, because over the years Alice Law had developed greatly. Moreover, my thoughts about General Relativity had changed as well. Alice Law was now whispering to me: "Take the Principle of Equivalence and the Principle of Forces out of the scope of General Relativity, General Relativity belongs only to me." So I listened to these words and decided to gather these principles under the title ENERGY PRINCIPLES. For me, these principles are now not on the road that defines General Relativity, but on the road that defines the great target behind it. I do not know exactly where or what that great target is. I only know that it exists, and that those who want to reach it must walk along this road of principles.

I have always been happy that I wrote this work. It is very interesting, very beautiful, very crazy. I will take you onto a very thin line where craziness and reality meet each other. This line is the road that leads to the great target. If you want to go there, you must learn how to walk on it.

We will now briefly summarize the example Albert Einstein used when he explained the Principle of Equivalence.

The man inside the box thinks that he is in a gravitational field and that the box is hanging in empty space, suspended from a rope attached to the ceiling. Outside, there is another man who sees how the situation actually occurs. He sees that the rope to which the box is attached is pulled upward with a constant acceleration by some being.

The man inside the box ties a rope to the ceiling of the box and hangs a body from it. He thinks that the force acting on the hanging body is the gravitational force (g). The man outside, however, seeing that the box is being pulled upward, realizes that the body hanging inside the box is actually subject to the classical pulling force (a).

As a result, the interpretations of the same force are different for the two men. The reality is the gravitational force (g) for the man inside the box, and the classical force (a) for the man outside. In magnitude, a and g are equal but have opposite directions.

You may be surprised that we call a and g forces instead of accelerations. Acceleration and force are actually the same thing. If we write the force as F = m . a or F = m . g, this expresses the total force acting on a body (m is the mass of the body). If you think that acceleration is something different from force... of course, you will immediately go to Wikipedia and look up "what is acceleration?" and there you will find the definition: "In physics, acceleration is the rate of change of velocity with respect to time." Uhhhhh. What can I do!... You may continue to think that way. However, here I will speak of a and g as forces. What they mean in this context is already clear from the example.

Now, for a moment, imagine that you are the man outside in the figure. The box and the man inside are moving upwards past you, accelerating more and more. And you are interpreting what is happening...

• The box is hanging in empty space and you are falling down...
• You are standing where you are and the box is being pulled upward...

The truth is that if you have no external clues to rely on, then to answer this question you would have to toss a coin. And it does not matter at all if the answer you choose is “wrong”.

As a result, the principle of forces states that a given force can be interpreted either as a classical force (a) or as a gravitational force (g), and that both interpretations are equally valid. The force is unique, but there are two interpretations of it. The interpretations are equal in magnitude and opposite in direction.

In the figure, notice that the arrows representing the forces point outward; they never point towards each other.

The Importance of the Principle of Forces on the Road to the Great Target:

Let us take an airplane flying at a constant altitude. In Classical Mechanics we think as follows:

Classical Mechanics – The airplane is pulled downward by the gravitational force (g). In order to maintain its altitude, it must oppose the gravitational force acting on it. For this purpose, with the help of its wings, it applies an upward force (a). As long as these two forces are equal (a = g), the airplane will continue to fly at the same altitude.

How logical this sounds, doesn’t it? This is the hard reality we learned and taught in schools, on which we base all our calculations, and to which we even entrust our lives. But if you listen carefully, you may hear the Principle of Forces whispering something different in your ear about the airplane example:

Principle of Forces – In the airplane example both a and g are present. They are equal in magnitude and opposite in direction. Therefore there must in fact be only a single force acting on the airplane. One of a and g represents the reality, and the other represents the interpretation. You must make a choice between a and g. Which one do you choose?... Which one represents the truth?

In fact, it is not so difficult to answer this question. If we really have to make a choice, it should be the lifting force produced by the airplane’s wings, that is a. But what happened to g? Where did that huge gravitational force go!.. If g is not real? That great power that rules the heavens... My God...

Now you have stepped onto that very thin line. That line is the line of the road that leads to the great target.

The Principle of Forces shows that we can interpret the gravitational force g as a pushing force, that is as a, and moreover, that in fact the gravitational force is really represented not by g but by a. If you wish, we can put it this way: the Principle of Forces gives us the necessary permission to interpret the gravitational force as a. Furthermore, it shows that there is a possibility that the gravitational force can be represented only by a. In other words, it is in fact gently saying that there is no such thing as g.

Actually, it is not only the Principle of Forces that says these things. The Principle of Equivalence says the same. The example of the man in the box points to this conclusion. The Principle of Forces clearly states what the Principle of Equivalence says only implicitly. And indeed, the Principle of Forces is based on the Principle of Equivalence.

There is no need to panic immediately or to have a heart attack. You will have plenty of time for that. At first, the Principle of Forces is quite challenging, but once you enter into it, there is no escape from it. And then do you know what happens?... Oh my God... This... this... this is an incredible place. Heeey... look at that... Such things – believe me – it is hard to describe in words what you will see there. It is another world.

The Principle of Forces triggers the following logical consequences, one after another:

Since the gravitational force is treated as a, the direction of the gravitational force changes. It is now from bottom to top. (The direction of the force is outward from the center of mass.) We know that for a force defined as a to be effective, close contact is necessary (as in pushing or pulling). That is, the concept of a force acting at a distance changes. When we use a for the gravitational force, we cannot explain planetary orbits with a force acting at a distance, because there is no contact. Instead, something else that we do not yet know is taking place there; there are other rules. Many phenomena that you thought you understood now require new explanations. And in this respect, the Principle of Forces is extremely valuable for physics.

A physical phenomenon that can be explained with g also has an explanation when g is replaced by a.

In the animated figure on the right there is an illustrative explanation of the fall of an apple using a; the apple is at rest, and the ground catches it. (In fact, the apple is moving upward, but I did not want to tire you out any more here. You must already be quite surprised.) If Sir Isaac Newton had seen this, I think he would have had a heart attack.

You know that the Principle of Equivalence led to the theory of General Relativity. After Alice Law changed and shrank General Relativity and encompassed it, the road that used to lead to General Relativity has from now on become the road that leads to the Great Target. So in the end, not much has changed. Of course, the Principle of Forces has opened a new horizon on this road. When we become able to express the physical laws of the gravitational force with a, we will have made an important advance in physics and will have come a little closer to the target.

Principle of Forces An acting force can be interpreted as a classical force (a) or as a gravitational force (g). Both interpretations are equally valid. The magnitudes of the interpreted forces are equal and opposite in direction. g ile açıklanabilen bütün fizik olayları g yerine a kullandığı taktirde de bir açıklamaya sahiptir. Bunun tersi de doğrudur.

The Principle of Forces will continue.

By downloading Alice Law Version 5 or reading it online you can read the Principle of Forces and General Relativity sections to get an idea, but I kindly ask you to keep in mind that they were written six or seven years ago. The updated publications you will find here will be more accurate in content.

These days I am concentrating all my energy on Alice Law. I am trying to complete its missing parts and explain it to you in the best possible way. This takes all my time and energy. Whenever I find time, of course, I also try to advance on the road that leads to the Great Target. I will publish here what I see and what I think on that road.

Han Erim