Fact-checked by Grok 2 weeks ago

Absolute rotation

Absolute rotation refers to the concept in Newtonian mechanics of rotational motion that is defined with respect to an absolute space, independent of any relative motion to surrounding bodies, and detectable through physical effects such as centrifugal forces.^[1]^[2] Introduced by Isaac Newton in his Philosophiæ Naturalis Principia Mathematica (1687), this idea posits that true rotation produces observable phenomena, like the concave surface formed by water in a spinning bucket, which cannot be explained solely by the bucket's motion relative to the Earth or nearby objects.^[1]^[2] In Newtonian physics, absolute rotation underpins the distinction between inertial and non-inertial reference frames, where rotational acceleration is absolute and gives rise to fictitious forces, such as the outward push felt in a rotating system, regardless of external references.^[1] Newton illustrated this absoluteness through thought experiments, including the rotating bucket and two connected globes that twist when spun, arguing that these effects reveal motion against an immutable spatial background, essential for the laws of motion and universal gravitation.^[2] This framework assumes space as a fixed, infinite entity, providing a universal standard for measuring rotation, in contrast to translational motion, which Newton viewed as relative.^[1] The notion of absolute rotation faced significant challenges in the 19th century, particularly from Ernst Mach, who critiqued it in The Science of Mechanics (1883) by proposing that rotational effects arise from an object's relation to the entire distribution of matter in the universe, such as distant stars, rather than an abstract absolute space.^[2] Mach's principle influenced Albert Einstein's development of general relativity (1915), where rotation remains detectable but is framed within curved spacetime influenced by mass-energy, effectively incorporating relational elements while retaining some absolute aspects through boundary conditions like asymptotic flatness.^[1]^[2] In contemporary physics, absolute rotation continues to inform discussions in general relativity and alternative theories, such as shape dynamics, where efforts persist to reconcile Newtonian absolutes with fully relational descriptions of motion.^[2] These debates highlight absolute rotation's enduring role in understanding the foundations of space, time, and dynamics, bridging classical and modern paradigms.^[1]

Historical and Classical Foundations

Newton's Concept of Absolute Space

In his Philosophiæ Naturalis Principia Mathematica (1687), Isaac Newton introduced the concept of absolute space in the Scholium following the definitions, describing it as a fixed and immutable entity that exists independently of any external relations.^[3] Absolute space, in its own nature, without relation to anything external, remains always similar and immovable, serving as the unchanging backdrop against which all physical phenomena occur.^[4] This contrasts with relative space, which Newton defined as a movable dimension or measure of the absolute spaces, determined by our senses through its position relative to surrounding bodies.^[3] Newton extended this framework to motion, positing absolute motion as the translation of a body from one absolute place into another, detectable through its intrinsic effects rather than mere observations of relative positions.^[4] Specifically, absolute rotation manifests through forces such as centrifugal effects, which arise independently of the surrounding environment and indicate true motion relative to absolute space, as opposed to relative rotation that depends on observable changes in position among bodies.^[3] Thus, while relative motion describes apparent shifts perceptible to observers, absolute motion represents the genuine change in a body's location within the immutable framework of absolute space, essential for explaining dynamical phenomena like inertial forces in rotating systems.^[4] This conception arose in the 17th-century context as Newton's direct response to René Descartes' relational view of space and motion, which treated space as merely the arrangement of material bodies without an independent existence.^[5] Descartes argued that motion is inherently relative, defined solely by changes in the positions of bodies with respect to one another, denying any absolute reference frame.^[5] Newton rejected this relationalism, insisting that absolute space provides the necessary fixed arena to account for the uniformity of natural laws and the observability of true motions, thereby laying the philosophical groundwork for classical mechanics.^[4]

The Bucket Argument

In Newton's thought experiment, known as the bucket argument, a cylindrical bucket suspended by a long twisted rope is filled with water and then released to rotate about its vertical axis. Initially, as the bucket begins to spin, the water remains at rest relative to the surrounding environment, maintaining a flat surface. Gradually, friction causes the water to acquire the same angular velocity as the bucket, at which point the surface becomes concave, with the water level rising at the edges and dipping at the center. This concavity arises due to the centrifugal force acting on the water particles, pushing them outward from the axis of rotation.^[6] Newton interpreted this phenomenon as evidence of absolute rotation, arguing that the observed effects occur even when the water and bucket are rotating together with no relative motion between them. If rotation were merely relative to surrounding bodies, the flat surface should persist once the water co-rotates with the bucket, as there would be no differential motion. Instead, the concavity demonstrates that the water is rotating relative to an absolute space, which remains fixed and undetectable directly but manifests through these inertial effects. This distinguishes true circular motion, characterized by forces tending to recede from the axis, from mere relative translation. In Newtonian mechanics, the centrifugal force is a fictitious force appearing in the rotating reference frame of the bucket, but Newton viewed the resulting concavity as proof of genuine absolute rotation against an inertial frame defined by absolute space. To find the equilibrium shape of the water surface, consider the balance between the gravitational potential and the centrifugal potential in the rotating frame. The effective potential energy per unit mass is \Phi = gz - \frac{1}{2}\omega^2 r^2, where z is the height, g is gravitational acceleration, \omega is the angular velocity, and r is the radial distance from the axis. At equilibrium, the surface is an equipotential, so z(r) = z(0) + \frac{\omega^2 r^2}{2g}, yielding a parabolic profile h(r) = \frac{\omega^2 r^2}{2g} relative to the lowest point at the center. This derivation confirms the concavity's dependence on absolute rotation rate \omega, independent of relative motion to the bucket walls. The bucket argument was first published in the Scholium following the Definitions in Book I of Newton's Philosophiæ Naturalis Principia Mathematica in 1687, where it served as a key defense of absolute space against relational theories of motion, such as those proposed by Descartes. By linking observable physical effects to rotation relative to an absolute frame, it established a foundational criterion for identifying true motion in classical mechanics, influencing subsequent debates on space and inertia.^[7]

The Rotating Spheres Experiment

In Newton's second thought experiment on absolute rotation, described in the scholium following the definitions in Philosophiæ Naturalis Principia Mathematica, two identical globes of equal mass are connected by a taut cord and caused to revolve around their common center of gravity in an otherwise empty space devoid of external bodies or influences. If the system is at rest or in uniform rectilinear motion relative to absolute space, the cord remains slack with no tension, as the globes exhibit no tendency to separate. However, upon imparting rotation to the system, the cord becomes tense, indicating an internal force that stretches it, even though the globes maintain a fixed distance from one another and rotate together without relative motion between them.^[8] Newton argued that this tension arises solely from the absolute rotation of the globes with respect to absolute space, rather than any relative motion between the globes themselves, since they co-rotate as a rigid body without approaching or receding from each other. He posited that the tension reveals the "endeavor" of each globe to recede from the axis of rotation, a manifestation of inertial forces detectable independently of external references, thereby distinguishing true (absolute) circular motion from apparent motion.^[8] By measuring the tension and applying forces to the faces of the globes, one could further determine the quantity and direction (clockwise or counterclockwise) of this absolute rotation. Mechanically, the tension in the cord counteracts the radial acceleration required for circular motion. Consider two spheres of mass m connected by a massless cord of total length $2L, rotating with angular velocity \omega about the midpoint (their common center of gravity). In an inertial frame, each sphere undergoes uniform circular motion at radius L from the axis, requiring a centripetal acceleration a = \omega^2 L directed inward toward the center.^[9] The cord provides this centripetal force via tension T, so for each sphere, Newton's second law gives T = m a = m \omega^2 L. To derive this, start from the tangential velocity v = \omega L; the centripetal acceleration is then a = v^2 / L = (\omega L)^2 / L = \omega^2 L. Thus, the net inward force on each sphere is T, balancing the tendency to fly outward in the rotating frame (or providing the curvature in the inertial frame). In the absence of rotation (\omega = 0), T = 0, and the cord slackens.^[9] Newton emphasized that even in a void, the tension persists, underscoring its origin in absolute space. This setup parallels the bucket argument by similarly revealing centrifugal effects through internal stresses, but focuses on rigid-body tension rather than fluid deformation. In the 18th century, contemporaries like Colin Maclaurin refined these ideas in discussions of orbital mechanics, exploring how the tension in such rotating systems implies absolute motion in celestial bodies, such as the mutual revolutions of planets and satellites, and integrating it with gravitational theories to explain stable orbits without relying solely on relative positions.^[10]

Philosophical Criticisms and Alternatives

Leibniz and Berkeley's Objections

In the correspondence between Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz and Samuel Clarke from 1715 to 1716, Leibniz articulated a relational view of space as an ideal order among coexisting bodies, rejecting Newton's absolute space as an unnecessary and unobservable entity.^[11] He contended that absolute rotation or motion lacks meaning without reference to other bodies, as differences in absolute states would be indiscernible and violate the principle of sufficient reason, making such motion a mere fiction.^[11] For instance, Leibniz argued that if the entire universe rotated uniformly in absolute space, no observable effects would distinguish it from rest, rendering absolute rotation empirically empty.^[11] George Berkeley extended these relationalist critiques in his 1721 treatise De Motu, where he dismissed absolute space and motion as imperceptible and thus irrelevant to natural philosophy.^[12] Berkeley specifically addressed rotational phenomena, asserting that effects like the concavity in Newton's rotating bucket arise from the water's relative motion against the surrounding air or container, not any absolute inertial frame.^[12] He emphasized that true motion involves changes in situation relative to sensible objects and impressed forces from interactions, eliminating the need for an invisible absolute space.^[12] At the core of both philosophers' objections lies relationalism, which posits that space and motion derive solely from relations among bodies, with forces emerging from their interactions rather than an absolute frame.^[13] This framework reinterprets Newton's experiments: the bucket's water surface tension results from relative motion to the Earth or laboratory, while the tension in rotating spheres stems from adjustments in their mutual attractions due to relative velocities, without invoking absolute rotation.^[13] These 18th-century critiques shifted philosophical and scientific debates toward relational explanations, prompting empirical investigations into motion's dependence on distributed matter throughout the 18th and 19th centuries.^[13]

Mach's Principle

Ernst Mach, in his 1883 work The Science of Mechanics, proposed that local inertial frames are defined relative to the distant stars and the overall distribution of matter in the universe, rendering the concept of absolute rotation meaningless without such cosmic references. He argued that inertia originates not from an abstract absolute space but from the interactions of a body with all other matter in the cosmos, emphasizing that "motion is completely determined by the entire universe." This formulation challenged Newtonian mechanics by tying the determination of rotation and inertial effects to the relative configuration of massive bodies, particularly the fixed stars, rather than an independent spatial framework.^[14] Mach applied this idea directly to Newton's rotating bucket experiment, suggesting that the concavity of the water's surface arises from its rotation relative to the mass of the Earth and other celestial bodies, not against an absolute space. He famously questioned the experiment's outcome by positing an alternative: "Try to fix Newton's bucket and rotate the heaven of fixed stars and then it is easy to see that the water will take the form of a concave surface," implying that the centrifugal effects would reverse if the universe rotated instead. In this view, the bucket's result demonstrates relational motion against the universe's mass distribution, dismissing Newton's invocation of empty absolute space as an unphysical and arbitrary fiction.^[15]^[16] Mach's ideas profoundly influenced Albert Einstein, who credited them with inspiring key aspects of general relativity, including the equivalence principle and the notion that matter curves spacetime to define inertial paths. Einstein explicitly coined the term "Mach's principle" in a 1918 address, viewing it as a guiding heuristic for relativizing inertia through the global distribution of mass. This connection briefly manifests in general relativity's description of geodesic motion, where distant matter influences local frames.^[15]^[17] Despite its impact, Mach's principle has faced criticisms for lacking a precise mathematical quantification of how distant matter exactly determines local inertia. Modern tests, such as those confirming frame-dragging effects in general relativity via satellites like Gravity Probe B, indicate partial validity by showing that rotating masses influence nearby inertial frames, though the full cosmic dependence of inertia remains unresolved.^[15]

Relativistic Perspectives

Special Relativity

Special relativity, formulated by Albert Einstein in 1905, revolutionized the classical notion of absolute space by establishing that there is no privileged inertial frame of reference and eliminating the idea of an absolute rest frame. In his foundational paper "On the Electrodynamics of Moving Bodies," Einstein addressed the inconsistencies between Newtonian mechanics and Maxwell's electromagnetism by introducing two postulates: the laws of physics are identical in all inertial frames, and the speed of light in vacuum is constant regardless of the source's motion. This framework discarded the luminiferous aether, previously invoked as an absolute medium for light propagation, thereby rendering absolute space unnecessary and undetectable.^[18] At its core, special relativity treats rotation not as an absolute property but as a form of acceleration relative to inertial frames, with no preferred frame to define absolute rotational motion. All inertial observers are equivalent, and uniform linear motion is undetectable without external references, but rotation introduces non-inertial effects that can be locally measured. In a rotating frame, fictitious forces such as centrifugal and Coriolis forces emerge due to the frame's acceleration, yet these are relational, depending on the choice of inertial frame, and do not indicate an absolute rotation against the universe. Special relativity thus affirms the relativity of inertial motion while preserving the detectability of acceleration, including rotation, through local experiments.^[19]^[20] Lorentz transformations, which underpin special relativity, mix spatial and temporal coordinates between inertial frames, ensuring that concepts like simultaneity and length are frame-dependent. For rotational scenarios, these transformations—particularly boosts—affect the measurement of angular velocity, as the relativity of simultaneity prevents a unique, observer-independent definition of angular displacement over time. An observer undergoing a Lorentz boost relative to a rotating system will perceive a different angular velocity due to the non-invariance of rotation rates under such transformations, underscoring that absolute angular velocity cannot exist without specifying the reference frame. In rotating frames, this manifests as the impossibility of globally synchronizing clocks, since Einstein synchronization is non-transitive around a closed loop, further highlighting the local, relative nature of rotation.^[20]^[21] The implications of these principles extend to thought experiments like the twin paradox, where path-dependent proper time arises from non-inertial trajectories. In a rotational variant, one twin remains in an inertial frame while the other follows a circular path at relativistic speeds; upon reunion, the rotating twin has aged less due to the integrated effects of velocity changes along the accelerated worldline, demonstrating that rotational motion leads to differential aging relative to inertial paths. This effect, analyzable within special relativity for the acceleration phases, reinforces the absence of absolute rotation by tying aging differences to the geometry of spacetime paths rather than an intrinsic rotational absolute. The Sagnac effect offers a key experimental confirmation, manifesting as a phase shift in light propagating in opposite directions within a rotating apparatus, detectable locally but relative to the inertial frame.^[22]^[20]

General Relativity

In general relativity, the equivalence principle asserts that locally, the effects of a uniform gravitational field are indistinguishable from those experienced in an accelerated reference frame, including rotational acceleration.^[23] This principle extends to rotation, where a rotating observer in flat spacetime cannot locally differentiate their motion from the influence of a gravitational field, thereby relativizing acceleration and eliminating absolute notions of rotation within small regions of spacetime.^[23] Frame-dragging, also known as the Lense-Thirring effect, describes how a rotating mass generates a gravitomagnetic field that drags nearby spacetime, rendering rotation relative to the distribution of cosmic matter rather than an absolute frame.^[24] In the weak-field approximation, the precession rate \Omega of a gyroscope or orbit due to this effect is given by

\Omega = \frac{2 G I \omega}{c^2 r^3},

where G is the gravitational constant, I is the moment of inertia of the rotating body, \omega is its angular velocity, c is the speed of light, and r is the distance from the body.^[24] This effect demonstrates that inertial frames are influenced by the rotation of distant masses, aligning rotation with the overall geometry of spacetime. Geodesic motion in general relativity further underscores the absence of absolute rotation, as freely falling particles follow geodesics defined by spacetime curvature, with locally non-rotating inertial frames determined relative to the distant stars through this curvature rather than a fixed absolute space.^[1] Einstein reinterpreted Newton's rotating bucket experiment in this framework, attributing the concave water surface not to motion against absolute space but to the geometry of curved spacetime induced by the bucket's rotation and the universe's mass distribution.^[25] General relativity incorporates Machian elements by suggesting that inertia arises from interactions with the universe's mass distribution, though it does not fully implement Mach's principle, as spacetime curvature can exist independently of matter and absolute rotational solutions persist in certain limits.^[26] Einstein viewed this partial alignment as a step toward relativizing inertia, influenced by Mach's ideas during the theory's development.^[26]

Modern Experimental Tests

Interferometry and Sagnac Effect

In 1913, Georges Sagnac conducted a pivotal experiment using an interferometer mounted on a rotating turntable to investigate the propagation of light in a rotating frame. A coherent light beam from a source was split by a beam splitter and directed along opposite paths around a closed polygonal loop formed by mirrors, before recombining to produce interference fringes. When the apparatus rotated, the counter-propagating beams experienced different travel times due to the motion of the mirrors, resulting in a observable shift in the interference pattern proportional to the rotation rate. This setup demonstrated a phase difference that Sagnac initially attributed to an "optical whirlwind" in the luminiferous aether dragged by the rotation.^[27] The phase shift \Delta \phi in the Sagnac interferometer is described by the formula

\Delta \phi = \frac{8 \pi A \omega}{c \lambda},

where A is the enclosed area of the loop, \omega is the angular rotation rate, c is the speed of light in vacuum, and \lambda is the wavelength of the light. This shift arises from the path length difference \Delta L = 4 A \omega / c between the two beams in the rotating frame, leading to a time delay \Delta t = \Delta L / c and thus \Delta \phi = 2\pi \Delta t / (\lambda / c). The derivation follows from considering the velocity addition in the non-inertial frame, where one beam travels with the rotation while the other opposes it. Sagnac's original measurements on a turntable with an area of approximately 0.08 m² and rotation rates on the order of 2 Hz (approximately 12.6 rad/s) yielded fringe shifts on the order of 0.07 fringes, confirming the predicted dependence on \omega and A.^[27] Subsequent replications solidified the effect's reliability. In 1925, Albert Michelson and Henry Gale constructed a massive rectangular interferometer (dimensions 640 m by 320 m) to measure Earth's rotation, observing a fringe shift of about 0.23 fringes at a latitude of 41.4°N, consistent with the Sagnac formula using Earth's angular velocity of $7.29 \times 10^{-5} rad/s relative to distant stars as the inertial reference. This demonstrated the effect's sensitivity to rotation against the cosmic background, interpreted as an inertial frame. Later turntable-based tests, such as those by Dufour and Prunier in 1937, replicated the setup on controlled platforms and confirmed the phase shift's independence from linear translation, as no shift occurred under pure uniform motion but appeared solely with angular rotation. These experiments underscored that the Sagnac effect detects rotation relative to a non-rotating inertial frame, not absolute motion in a Newtonian sense.^[27] Modern applications exploit the Sagnac effect in fiber-optic gyroscopes (FOGs), which use coiled optical fibers as the interferometer loop to measure rotational velocity for navigation in aircraft, ships, and spacecraft. In a FOG, counter-propagating laser beams in the fiber experience the phase shift, converted to an electrical signal proportional to \omega, enabling drift-free operation without moving parts and accuracies down to 0.001°/h. These devices confirm the effect's robustness in practical settings, such as inertial navigation systems that account for Earth's rotation relative to inertial space. However, the Sagnac effect measures only relative rotation with respect to distant inertial frames, offering no evidence for an absolute space and aligning with special relativity's treatment of non-inertial frames, where the shift reflects synchronization differences rather than a preferred absolute rest frame.^[28]^[29]

Quantum and Superfluid Experiments

In the late 1990s, experiments with superfluid ^4He demonstrated the potential to detect absolute rotation through the phase coherence of the superfluid state, analogous to a quantum gyroscope. Researchers constructed a superfluid helium analog of a superconducting RF SQUID, utilizing the circulation of superflow around a multiply connected geometry to sense rotational phase shifts. This device, fabricated from silicon micromachined orifices filled with superfluid ^4He, achieved detection of Earth's rotation by measuring the phase difference induced by the planet's angular velocity, confirming the superfluid's sensitivity to inertial frame rotation without viscous drag.^[30]^[31] Building on these foundations, proposals in the 1990s and early 2000s explored vortex states in rotating superfluid ^4He as indicators of absolute rotation, where quantized vortices form arrays mimicking solid-body rotation in an inertial frame. The principles of superfluid-helium gyroscopes (SHEGs) involve reorienting a superflow loop relative to the rotation vector to induce detectable phase shifts, offering high sensitivity limited primarily by thermal noise at millikelvin temperatures. By the 2010s, theoretical work extended this to magnetic fields generated by vortices in rotating superconductors, treated as charged superfluids, where rotation couples vorticity to electromagnetic effects, potentially revealing absolute rotation through flux measurements.^[32] A 2021 proposal detailed practical designs for detecting absolute rotation using charged objects rotating within superconducting enclosures, generating magnetic fields that could be measured with SQUIDs to distinguish inertial from non-inertial frames. These setups leverage the Meissner effect to confine fields from rotating charges, producing Aharonov-Bohm-like phase shifts in nearby quantum probes, with sensitivity sufficient to resolve Earth's sidereal rotation rate using commercial cryogenic detectors. Analysis indicated that such configurations test Maxwell's equations in rotating frames and could confirm whether low-frequency electromagnetic propagation shares the inertial frame of matter.^[33] More recent theoretical advancements in 2022 highlighted the vortex magnetic effect (VME) in superfluid ^4He, where rotating vortices carry detectable magnetic flux due to coupling between vorticity and magnetic fields in an effective field theory framework. Estimates suggest a flux per vortex of approximately $10^{-10} \Phi_0 (where \Phi_0 is the flux quantum), large enough for experimental detection using quantum-limited SQUIDs over integration times of days, providing a novel probe of rotational absoluteness in neutral superfluids.^[34] In 2024, a table-top quantum experiment employed path-entangled photon pairs in a large-scale Sagnac-like interferometer to measure Earth's rotation, achieving unprecedented sensitivity through quantum correlations. The setup utilized a 715 m² fiber loop with maximally entangled N00N states generated via spontaneous parametric down-conversion, yielding a rotation resolution of 5 μrad/s—three orders of magnitude better than prior classical optical sensors—and confirming the Earth's rotation rate of 7.1(5) × 10^{-5} rad/s from Earth's spin, corresponding to a Sagnac phase shift of 5.5(4) mrad. This doubled sensitivity arises from the Heisenberg-limited scaling of entangled states, demonstrating rotational effects via quantum-enhanced interferometry without relying on classical light paths.^[35] In November 2025, researchers reported using Sagnac phonon interferometry in rotating fermionic superfluids to measure angular momentum via Doppler shifts in counter-propagating phonons, confirming quantized circulation at h/2m (where m is the fermion mass) and demonstrating sensitivity to absolute rotation in the BEC-BCS regime.^[36] The Gravity Probe B mission (2004–2011) provided indirect tests of rotational absoluteness through satellite-based gyroscopes, measuring general relativistic precessions to assess frame-dragging by Earth's rotation. Four superconducting gyroscopes, orbiting at 642 km altitude, recorded a geodetic precession of -6601.8 \pm 18.3 mas/yr (predicted: -6606.1 mas/yr) and a frame-dragging precession of -37.2 \pm 7.2 mas/yr (predicted: -39.2 mas/yr), confirming Einstein's predictions to 0.28% and 19% accuracy, respectively. These results validate that rotation induces local spacetime curvature effects detectable in inertial frames, without evidence for a preferred absolute space.^[37]^[38] Collectively, these quantum and superfluid experiments indicate that rotation is relative to local inertial frames and detectable through phase coherence, vortex dynamics, or gravitational coupling, but they find no support for Newtonian absolute space, consistent with relativistic principles. Post-2013 advancements, including the 2024 entangled-photon measurement and 2025 fermionic superfluid interferometry, fill critical gaps by enhancing sensitivity to rotational signals at quantum limits, enabling tests of foundational physics in controlled laboratory settings.^[35]^[34]^[36]

References

[1]
[PDF] On the Absoluteness of Rotation. - arXiv
Jun 12, 2023 · Newton's answer to Newton's problem was that rotation is absolute [1]:. It is indeed a matter of great difficulty to discover, and effectu ...
[2]
absolute and relational space and motion, post-Newtonian theories
Aug 11, 2006 · In this article, we explore the ways in which the selfsame issues have been taken up by contemporary authors, beginning with Mach, moving on to Einstein.
[3]
[PDF] isaac newton - the principia - LSE
SCHOLIUM. 55 movable measure or dimension of this absolute space; such a measure or di- mension is determined by our senses from the situation of the space with.Missing: text | Show results with:text
[4]
Newton's Scholium on Time, Space, Place and Motion
Absolute space, in its own nature, without relation to anything external, remains always similar and immovable. Relative space is some movable dimension or ...Missing: text | Show results with:text
[5]
Absolute and Relational Space and Motion: Classical Theories
Jul 19, 2021 · Both Descartes and Newton claim that space is a real, mind-independent entity; for Descartes it is matter, and for Newton a 'pseudo-substance', ...
[6]
[PDF] Newton-Scholium.pdf
The motion of the whole is the same with the sum of the motions of the parts; that is, the translation of the whole, out of its place, is the same thing with ...
[7]
Newton's Philosophiae Naturalis Principia Mathematica
Dec 20, 2007 · Philosophers have viewed the Principia in the context of Einstein's new theory of gravity in his theory of general relativity.
[8]
Newton’s Views on Space, Time, and Motion (Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy)
### Summary of Newton's Rotating Globes Experiment
[9]
Centripetal Force - HyperPhysics Concepts
Centripetal Force Calculation. Centripetal force = mass x velocity2 / radius. Note that the conditions here assume no ...
[10]
An account of Sir Isaac Newton's philosophical discoveries, in four ...
Aug 5, 2023 · An account of Sir Isaac Newton's philosophical discoveries, in four books. By Colin Maclaurin, 1750. Digitized from IA40310411-75.
[11]
None
Summary of each segment:
[12]
[PDF] DE MOTU AND THE ANALYST
abstraction is Newton's doctrine of absolute space. In this case, the at- tempt to abstract an idea of space from any sensible quality has led to the ...
[13]
[PDF] Earman - World Enough and Spacetime - University of Pittsburgh
the various early reactions to Newton's "rotating bucket" experiment. This progress in historical knowledge has, regrettably, not been matched by progress ...
[14]
Ernst Mach on bodies and buckets - Physics Today
Dec 1, 2013 · In 1883 Mach wrote that Newton's experiment merely shows that the relative rotation of the water with respect to the sides of the vessel ...
[15]
The Forgotten Mystery of Inertia | American Scientist
In his magnum opus, Principia Mathematica, Newton proposed a thought experiment to prove that rotation takes place with respect to absolute space. He ...
[16]
[PDF] Mach's Principle and the Origin of Inertia
Sachs and A.R. Roy. Proceedings of the International Workshop on Mach's Principle and the Origin of Inertia held at the Indian Institute of. Technology, ...
[17]
[PDF] Mach's Principle: the original Einstein's considerations (1907-12)
Abstract. In this article we present the first Einstein's considerations on Mach's. Principle that were published in a little note on 1912. In particular we.
[18]
GP-B — Einstein's Spacetime - Gravity Probe B
Photo of Albert Einstein circa 1905 ... This is the basis of Einstein's theory of special relativity ("special" refers to the restriction to uniform motion).
[19]
Significance General Relativity - University of Pittsburgh
Absolute motion cannot appear in any law of physics. All experiments run the same in all inertial frames of reference. No experiment can reveal the absolute ...
[20]
https://phys.libretexts.org/Bookshelves/Relativity/Special_Relativity_(Crowell)/08%3A_Rotation/8.01%3A_Rotating_Frames_of_Reference
[21]
Rotating frames in special relativity | International Journal of ...
A uniformly rotating frame is defined as the rest frame of a particle revolving with constant velocityω in a circle about theZ-axis of an inertial frame Σ0.
[22]
[PDF] The twin paradox and the principle of relativity - arXiv
Hence, when formulating the twin paradox, one uses the general principle of relativity, i.e. that accelerated and rotational motion is relative.
[23]
[PDF] The Equivalence Principle - Einstein's Happiest Moment - arXiv
When expressed in a way that is manifestly independent of the choice of coordinates, this idea became General Relativity. But the ground for what is now known ...
[24]
[PDF] arXiv:gr-qc/0608119v2 7 Sep 2006
Sep 7, 2006 · Note that in their original paper Lense and Thirring (1918) used the longitude of pericentre ̟ ≡ Ω + ω. The gravitomagnetic force may have ...
[25]
Einstein's Pathway to General Relativity - University of Pittsburgh
This analysis was clearly inspired by Mach's famous account of Newton's bucket experiment. Newton had noted that water in a spinning bucket adopts a concave ...
[26]
[PDF] Mach's Principle - arXiv
Mach insists that absolute motion and absolute space, i.e. motion and space in themselves, reside only in our minds and cannot be revealed by experience, hence.
[27]
The Sagnac effect and its interpretation by Paul Langevin
The phase shift (expressed in wavelength) is given by the Sagnac formula ... The phase shift of the Sagnac experiment was also measured in the case of ...
[28]
What is fiber-optic gyroscope technology? - Exail
Based on the Sagnac effect, FOGs are passive systems that use light to calculate motion. Rotations movements are measured by sending identical laser beams ...
[29]
The fiber-optic gyroscope, a century after Sagnac's experiment
Path length difference created by the Sagnac effect induces a wavelength difference between both counterpropagating resonant beams, and therefore a frequency ...
[30]
Detection of the Earth's rotation using superfluid phase coherence
Apr 10, 1997 · Here we provide experimental proof of this concept by detecting the rotation of the Earth using the spatial phase coherence of superfluid 4 He.
[31]
Detection of absolute rotation using superfluid He4 - AIP Publishing
Feb 1, 1998 · Such a device is a quantum mechanically based, absolute gyroscope and has been used to sense the rotation of the Earth. Our device is fabricated ...
[32]
Principles of superfluid-helium gyroscopes | Phys. Rev. B
Aug 1, 1992 · The SHEG can detect absolute rotation by reorienting the loop with respect to the rotation vector. E. Varoquaux, W. Zimmermann, Jr., and O.
[33]
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.physleta.2020.126994
[34]
[2112.04595] Vortices in spin-0 superfluids carry magnetic flux - arXiv
Dec 8, 2021 · Our analysis shows that in superfluid Helium-4 the vortex magnetic effect may be large enough to be experimentally detectable.Missing: absolute rotation detection
[35]
Experimental observation of Earth's rotation with quantum ... - Science
Jun 14, 2024 · We are able to confirm an acquired Sagnac phase from Earth's rotation with an enhancement factor of two because of the two-photon entangled ...Missing: replications turntables
[36]
Final Results of a Space Experiment to Test General Relativity - arXiv
May 17, 2011 · Analysis of the data from all four gyroscopes results in a geodetic drift rate of -6,601.8+/- 18.3 mas/yr and a frame-dragging drift rate of - ...
[37]
Gravity Probe B: Final Results of a Space Experiment to Test ...
GP-B provides independent measurements of the geodetic and frame-dragging effects at an accuracy of 0.28% and 19%, respectively.Article Text · Introduction. · Data analysis. · Results and conclusions.