How does physics explain the graviton?

Chemistry4me · « **on:** 14/03/2009 09:30:39 »

How does physics explain the graviton? [

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Can one of you clever people out there please tell me how physics explains the fact that when I let go of a ball, it falls to the ground? What on Earth is going on here? How does this (hypothetical?) graviton interact with the ball so that it falls to the ground? [

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lightarrow · « **Reply #1 on:** 14/03/2009 10:57:32 »

Quote from: Chemistry4me on 14/03/2009 09:30:39

How does physics explain the graviton?

It doesn't. Infact gravitons don't exist.

Chemistry4me · « **Reply #2 on:** 14/03/2009 10:59:40 »

Okay, so what happens? [

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lightarrow · « **Reply #3 on:** 14/03/2009 11:01:01 »

Quote from: Chemistry4me on 14/03/2009 10:59:40

Okay, so what happens? []

Do you mean why a ball falls to the ground?

Chemistry4me · « **Reply #4 on:** 14/03/2009 11:01:30 »

Quote from: lightarrow on 14/03/2009 11:01:01

Quote from: Chemistry4me on 14/03/2009 10:59:40
Okay, so what happens? []
Do you mean why a ball falls to the ground?

Yes.

Chemistry4me · « **Reply #5 on:** 14/03/2009 11:03:36 »

Perhaps it is something that physics cannot explain just at this moment? [

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lightarrow · « **Reply #6 on:** 14/03/2009 11:15:21 »

Quote from: Chemistry4me on 14/03/2009 11:03:36

Perhaps it is something that physics cannot explain just at this moment? []

Why? It explains it from Newton; it's already several centuries! The last explanation I know is the one of GR: mass bends spacetime so the ball is forced to follow that bending.

DoctorBeaver · « **Reply #7 on:** 14/03/2009 11:15:52 »

I think I'm right in saying that the graviton only exists in Quantum Field Theory. It is basically postulated to make gravity work in the same way as the other known forces: i.e. by the exchange of guage bosons like the W & Z bosons of the weak force.

General Relativity says that objects move towards each other due to the curvature of space that is caused by the presence of matter (matter tells space how to curve and space tells matter how to behave). It doesn't however, give any indication as to how that curvature occurs.

Chemistry4me · « **Reply #8 on:** 14/03/2009 11:20:49 »

Quote from: lightarrow on 14/03/2009 11:15:21

mass bends spacetime so the ball is forced to follow that bending.

Quote from: DoctorBeaver on 14/03/2009 11:15:52

General Relativity says that objects move towards each other due to the curvature of space that is caused by the presence of matter (matter tells space how to curve and space tells matter how to behave).

So basically the ball falls to the ground because spacetime tells it to?

DoctorBeaver · « **Reply #9 on:** 14/03/2009 11:40:30 »

According to GR it doesn't "fall" at all. It tries to follow a geodesic.

lightarrow · « **Reply #10 on:** 14/03/2009 11:45:07 »

Quote from: DoctorBeaver on 14/03/2009 11:15:52

I think I'm right in saying that the graviton only exists in Quantum Field Theory. It is basically postulated to make gravity work in the same way as the other known forces: i.e. by the exchange of guage bosons like the W & Z bosons of the weak force.

Yes, but there is just a little problem: gravity is still not described by quantum mechanics...
Gravitons comes from a speculative "attempt" to describe gravity quantum mechanically, but it's actually illegitimate, in the absence of a real quantum theory of gravity.

Chemistry4me · « **Reply #11 on:** 14/03/2009 11:46:36 »

Hmmm... now I'm confused. [

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DoctorBeaver · « **Reply #12 on:** 14/03/2009 11:47:59 »

Quote from: lightarrow on 14/03/2009 11:45:07

Quote from: DoctorBeaver on 14/03/2009 11:15:52
I think I'm right in saying that the graviton only exists in Quantum Field Theory. It is basically postulated to make gravity work in the same way as the other known forces: i.e. by the exchange of guage bosons like the W & Z bosons of the weak force.
Yes, but there is just a little problem: gravity is still not described by quantum mechanics...

I'm aware of that. Any theory that explains gravity will have to be more fundamental.

lightarrow · « **Reply #13 on:** 14/03/2009 11:49:51 »

You two write at the speed of sound! I couldn't edit my post that you already have written two of them! [

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DoctorBeaver · « **Reply #14 on:** 14/03/2009 11:54:19 »

Quote from: lightarrow on 14/03/2009 11:49:51

You two write at the speed of sound! I couldn't edit my post that you already have written two of them! []

I may be ill but I can still type fast

DoctorBeaver · « **Reply #15 on:** 14/03/2009 11:56:03 »

Quantum physics is certainly not the final word

DoctorBeaver · « **Reply #16 on:** 14/03/2009 11:56:28 »

Quote from: Chemistry4me on 14/03/2009 11:46:36

Hmmm... now I'm confused. [][][]

About what?

Chemistry4me · « **Reply #17 on:** 14/03/2009 12:04:54 »

EVERYTHING!

And don't tell me that you're not!

DoctorBeaver · « **Reply #18 on:** 14/03/2009 12:08:34 »

I'm not confused by it. I know there are things about QM & gravity that I don't understand and that's it.

Chemistry4me · « **Reply #19 on:** 14/03/2009 12:12:26 »

Fine, I'll just go sulk in the corner.

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How does physics explain the graviton?

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