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re: mass is that which resists accelleration
Michael Gmirkin — (archived)

Umm, but wouldn't that violate the resisting acceleration rule?

IE, if two masses are attracted gravitationally, don't they exert a pull on each other and thus accelerate each other to some degree. How does THAT make sense with resisting acceleration?

Why do I get the feeling sometimes that we have way too many contradictions and points where we say something but have no idea what it actually MEANS?

Just wondering...

I mean gravitation essenitally means exerting a force on another object in effect pulling it. But pulling it accelerates it, no (even if only minutely)?

So, mass both resists acceleration, and causes the gravitation that may accelerate other objects toward itself? But in relativity, there's an equivalence of motion isn't there? IE, the observer sees the observed as accelerating toward them while they remain at rest, but the observed, from their frame of reference sees the observer as accelerating toward the observed with the observed thinking they're at rest, yeah? I mean if there's no outside third part to observe and see they're both moving relative to the third, or one is/isn't moving.

But the problem with that, is if there is no third object to compare, then one has to assume equivalence or not know which is moving and which is resting. But doesn't that become a problem when gravitation and resisting acceleration come into play?

IE, if a mass resists acceleration, but gravitationally causes an acceleration of another mass... And there is no way to tell which is actually moving. Wouldn't it seem that the mass which is supposed to be resisting acceleration, by equivalence, is causing it?

Now that just sounds like gibberish to me. So, I don't even want to go down that road. 'Cause how cn something simultaneously resist acceleration and yet appear to mutually cause its own acceleration in conjunction with another mass? Resisting acceleration but causing acceleration at the same time makes no sense. And I don't feel like having my brain explode today... Heh.

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