6 ms·
I think the weirdness is, the distance between masses wouldn't change, they'd just accelerate together, in the same direction, indefinitely. Both mass would ex
by walrus1066 8y ago
I think the weirdness is, the distance between masses wouldn't change, they'd just accelerate together, in the same direction, indefinitely.
Both mass would experience negative repulsive force:
F=Gm(-m)/r^2
=-Gm^2/r^2
The positive mass accelerates away from the negative mass, because
F=ma
=> ma=-Gm^2/r^2
=> a=-Gm/r^2
Now here's the kicker. If inertial mass (the m in F=ma), is the same thing as gravitational mass. Then, the negative mass accelerates towards the positive mass. Because
F=(-m)a
=> F=-ma
=> -ma=-Gm^2/r^2
=> a=Gm/r^2
So accelerates in same direction as positive mass.
Technically, conservation of energy & momentum is maintained, because the negative kinetic energy of negative mass would cancel out positive energy of positive mass.
But I think the above can't be natural, because the magnitude of kinetic energy would grow to infinity, leading to even more impossibilities.
So you'd need to 'hack' the theory of gravity and make inertial mass different to gravitational mass. So the particle has negative gravitational mass, but positive inertial mass, to make laws of physics stay sane :)
- FabHK 8y agoFrom what I gather, the negative mass repels the positive mass (which is thus accelerated away), and the positive mass attracts the negative mass, which (because it has negative mass) is thus also accelerated away. Now, the kinetic energy of the positive mass grows, but the kinetic energy of the negative mass is negative and falls (because its mass is negative...), so energy is conserved. EDIT to add: I think I gathered wrong. Apparently, there is runaway motion (same direction), energy and momentum is still conserved (since one mass is negative), and since total mass is zero, the two particles reach speed of light. Intriguing. See paper.