Kinetic Theories of Gravitation
 | |
| Author | Richard A Ford |
|---|---|
| Published | 1992 |
| Publisher | Tri-State Press |
| Pages | 80 |
"This booklet is a compilation exploring the history of kinetic gravitational theories in the very prolific period spanning the 18th and 19th Centuries. Natural philosophers before, during and after Isaac Newton attempted to determine the cause of gravitation without resorting to the mystical notion of "action-at-a-distance". Historians of science often state incorrectly that Newton's Principia (1687) leads to the idea that gravitational force can act across empty space without any medium between bodies. Yet, Newton's rejection of action-at-a-distance was clearly stated in his letter to Richard Bentley in 1693... Isaac Newton, to his credit, did not reject the idea of a medium, but neither did he discuss it in the Principia (first edition).
"Other philosophers did develop completely novel theories of how gravity acts by endowing a universal medium (aether) in space with certain properties. Generally, kinetic gravity theories fall into one of two classes: those in which the aether acts as waves or those in which this medium acts as corpuscles or particles. (I would not rule out a third as-yet undefined class, however)
"The main purpose of this booklet is an exact reprint of "Kinetic Theories of Gravitation" by William B. Taylor as it first appeared in Annual Report of the Board of Regents, Smithsonian Institution, V31, pp. 205-282..." - From the Introduction
Ford's reprint includes some additional material and comments. See http://en.wikisource.org/wiki/Kinetic_Theories_of_Gravitation for full text of the original.
