Quote: the gravitational attraction of the earth to the sun must have preexisted in the sun; otherwise how did it arise

Quotation

we say that the sun attracts the earth, and also that the earth attracts the sun. But if the sun attracts the earth, that force of attraction must either arise because of the presence of the earth near the sun; or it must have pre-existed in the sun when the earth was not there. If we consider the first case, I think it will be exceedingly difficult to conceive that the sudden presence of the earth, 95 millions of miles from the sun, and having no previous physical connexion with it ... should be able to raise up in the sun a power having no previous existence. ... [p. 574] The third sub-case [of the sun's gravitation pre-existing] remains, namely that the power is always existing around the sun and through infinite space, whether secondary bodies be there to be acted upon by gravitation or not; and not only around the sun, but around every particle of matter which has existence.   Google-1   Google-2

Published before 1923

Additional Titles

Quote: gravitational power exists around every particle that has existence

Related Topics

Topic: general relativity (47 items)