Naked Science Forum
Non Life Sciences => Physics, Astronomy & Cosmology => Topic started by: EvaH on 18/08/2020 13:51:40
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David wants to know:
Is space nothing more than just an energy field?
What do you think?
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I'm not sure that I would say space is an energy field, but it does contain fields. Quantum vacuum fluctuations would make the field values (electromagnetic, gravitational, etc.) nonzero at specific locations and for very brief moments of time, but it all averages out to about zero (or maybe exactly zero?) when viewed from our macroscopic scale.
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Space (the bit between galaxies, stars and planets) contains a gravitational field, which is non-zero everywhere in our universe.
Space also contains an electromagnetic field, which has non-zero values over large volumes - our galaxy has an overall magnetic field (much weaker than the Earth's magnetic field). This background field is continually perturbed by all the photons propagating through it.
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I believe it is.
A massive object has an energy field (E) which is dependent upon the mass (m) of the object and the distance from the center of the object (r);
E = (hcG)1/2m/r
Where;
G is the gravitational constant
h is the Plank constant
c is the light constant
Two massive objects interact via their potential energy fields (E1 , E2)
The Newton force (F12) between the objects is related to their energy fields;
F12 = E1E2/hc
Giving the Newton approximation;
F12 = Gm1m2/r2
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I believe it is.
A massive object has an energy field (E) which is dependent upon the mass (m) of the object and the distance from the center of the object (r);
That is the gravitational field, it is not ‘space’. Remove the mass and it goes away, but you are still left with space.
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Ah, the magic phrase "energy field". It's usually the hunting cry of a rampant charlatan, but occasionally heard from a prospective victim, as here.