The Earth as a Gravitational Structure

Abstract

We began this book by outlining the relationship between the various structures in nature and the forces that exist between the various bodies that constitute the structures. Up to this point we have considered in detail only one force—the force of gravity—but we have developed the basic principles and laws that reveal how any kind of force gives rise to a structure. To get a preliminary look at how a structure can evolve when forces come into play, we first consider a collection of particles moving about freely without interacting with each other (no forces between them). From Newton’s first law of motion we know (if we neglect collisions) that each particle continues moving without change of speed in the same straight line so that these particles in time fill all regions of space uniformly. Of course, collisions among these particles constantly alter the speeds and directions of the colliding particles but these random collisions do not change the overall picture. The absence of forces between particles leads to a structureless, completely random and undifferentiated universe.

‘If everybody minded their own business,’ the Dutchess said in a hoarse growl, ‘the world would go round a deal faster than it does.’

—lewis carroll, Alice in Wonderland