Special Lectures on Experimental Gravity uni （特别专题实验重力大学）.pdfVIP

Testing the Equivalence Principle Special Lectures on Experimental Gravity Universality of free fall (Galileo) • Aristoteles view: the manner in which a body falls, does depend on its weight (at least plausible, if one does not abstract from air resistance etc.) • Galileos experiments on an inclined plane: the speed of a body is independent of its weight; all bodies, regardless of their constitution, fall with the same acceleration • This behaviour is fairly unique to gravitation; usually: the larger the acting force, the larger the acceleration. electric field vs. gravitational field electric field: gravitational field: F = q · E F = m · G Q M |E| 2 |G| 2 r r |a | q |a | = F (m) , a = const. • For other forces, mass has only one function; as the measure of inertia. For gravity, it also fulfills a second function; as source of acceleration. Two different definitions of mass • inertial mass: • you don‘t need gravity for this.. • measures the resistance against changes of current state of motion • can be defined by using collision experiments using Newtons law: m /m