The Lighter Side Of Gravity

Gravity is the most enigmatic of all known basic forces in nature. Yet it controls everything from the motion of ocean tides to the expansion of the entire Universe. Many books use technical jargon and high-powered maths to explain what gravity is all about. In The Lighter Side of Gravity, the presentation is beautifully clear and completely non-technical. Familiar analogies, interesting anecdotes and numerous illustrations are used throughout to get across subtle effects and difficult points. The coverage is, however, comprehensive and makes no compromise with accuracy. This second edition has been brought completely up to date and expanded to include the discovery of gigantic gravitational lenses in space, the findings of the COBE satellite, the detection of MACHOS, the investigations of the very early Universe and other new ideas in cosmology. In short, this lucid and stimulating book presents 'the lighter side' of the intriguing phenomena of 'gravity' to the student and general reader.

The 16th conference of the International Society on General Relativity and Gravitation (GR16), held at the International Convention Centre in Durban, South Africa, from 15 to 21 July, was attended by 450 delegates from around the world. The scientific programme comprised 18 plenary lectures, 1 public lecture and 19 workshops which, excepting 3 plenary lectures, are presented in this proceedings. It was the first major international conference on general relativity and gravitation held on the African continent. Contents:Simplicial Euclidean and Lorentzian Quantum Gravity (J Ambjorn)An Overview of Gravitational-Wave Sources (C Cutler & K Thorne)Gravitating Lumps (D Gal'tsov)Strings, Gravity and Particle Physics (J Maldacena)The Lighter Side of Gravity (J Narlikar)Exact Solutions and Their Interpretation (J Bicák)Approximation Methods (C Will)Physics of the Early Universe (K-I Maeda)Mathematical Cosmology (P Dunsby)Tests of Special and General Relativity (A Beesham)Quantum Field Theory in Curved Spacetime (L Ford)and other papers Readership: Researchers and research students in general relativity, relativistic astrophysics, cosmology, experimental gravity and quantum gravity. Keywords:General Relativity;Gravitation;Cosmology;Astrophysics;Quantum Gravity;Gravitational Wave Detection;Experimental Relativity

Gravity from a New Angle is a comprehensive analysis of fundamental concepts in Physics. Concepts like force, work, power and energy were developed over a period of centuries. In depth analysis of these concepts reveals that there is overlap in the way these concepts were defined. As a result, the concept of resultant force obscured the true understanding of energy interactions. Solution to most intriguing problems in Physics like Pioneer anomaly and unified theory relies on answers to the very basic questions. Does an object retain its mass when it collapses to a point mass? What is the amount of gravity at the center of the earth? In a chemical reaction between carbon and oxygen to form CO2, which atom releases the energy? Object gains mass or gravity when it collapses to a point size. Earth exerts enormous amount of gravity on an object kept at its center. Contrary to the wide spread belief, the energy in an combustion comes from the oxygen atom, which we should call as the fuel not the carbon atom. The flaws in fundamental concepts like the mass and force led our understanding of physical phenomenon in a wrong direction. By redefining these basic concepts in accordance with the observed facts, we can explain all the observed facts in an unified way. (Version 1.2)

Gravitational waves were first predicted by Albert Einstein in 1916, a year after the development of his new theory of gravitation known as the general theory of relativity. This theory established gravitation as the curvature of space-time produced by matter and energy. To be discernible even to the most sensitive instruments on Earth, the waves have to be produced by immensely massive objects like black holes and neutron stars which are rotating around each other, or in the extreme situations which prevail in the very early ages of the Universe. This book presents the story of the prediction of gravitational waves by Albert Einstein, the early attempts to detect the waves, the development of the LIGO detector, the first detection in 2016, the subsequent detections and their implications. All concepts are described in some detail, without the use of any mathematics and advanced physics which are needed for a full understanding of the subject. The book also contains description of electromagnetism, Einstein’s special theory and general theory of relativity, white dwarfs, neutron stars and black holes and other concepts which are needed for understanding gravitational waves and their effects. Also described are the LIGO detectors and the cutting edge technology that goes into building them, and the extremely accurate measurements that are needed to detect gravitational waves. The book covers these ideas in a simple and lucid fashion which should be accessible to all interested readers. The first detection of gravitational waves was given a lot of space in the print and electronic media. So, the curiosity of the non-technical audience has been aroused about what gravitational waves really are and why they are so important. This book seeks to answer such questions.

The Lighter Side of Firefighting is full of funny true stories, fire department jokes, pranks and gags. Everything from flaming manure piles to chiefs throwing garden gnomes through windows.