Hi Harry, > From: Harry Veeder
... > Imagine a frictionless vertical plane that you slide over > as you are thrown up. It is your speed w.r.t to that > plane that is indicated. If I understand your perception on this matter it would seem to indicate to me that in your thought experiment "direction", specifically the desitnation one is headed towards (or away from) is irrelavant. All that really matters is the absolute velocity one currently possesses w.r.t. that plane. Doesn't really matter what "direction" one is headed. Ok. I think I get it. However, I suspect many (myself included) might object to the seemingly arbitrary decision to do away with outside reference points. I don't know. I'll have to think about that. > > Perhaps you can help clarify (to me) exactly what the > > mechanism is that allows you to define *MY* speed, after > > I have been thrown up into the sky and have > > started falling back towards the ground, as: "positive > speed". In this exercise it's obvious that all things > > thrown up (including myself) will eventually fall back > > down. When I begin falling back it no longer seems > > accurate to describe my ultimate desination of splatting > > against the ground as "positive speed" anymore. Quite > > the opposite, IMHO. So, hopefully, I have clarified the > > confusion I'm continuing to have concerning > your definition of "positive speed". > > No worries. In this experiment you get to land on a big cushion. ;-) Oh! Good! I feel much better now! :-) ... > If the Earth is expanding under my feet then I should > soon be able to touchthe Moon. (Sooner if the Moon > is also expanding.) Not necessarily. Again, to restate, in my zany theory I present the hypothesis that there is no "gravity" or "attraction" per say. Instead, there is only the phenomenon of objects accelerating towards all other objects AND the effects of inertia. All planetary objects in orbit (including elliptical orbits) are constantly involved in a never ending EXPANDING spiral dance held in check by the effects of inertia making subtle directional changes to the bodies involved in that dance. IOW, expansion combined with inertia help keeps all planetary orbits performing the two-step. Well... in any case I get the feeling that I may not get my medal. Regards, Steven Vincent Johnson www.OrionWorks.com
