Skip to main content

Why is general relativity a geometric theory?

Conférencier Harvey R. Brown
Date Thursday, November 9, 2006, 9:00 PM
Lieu Concordia University, Loyola Campus, Science Pavilion (Building SP), 7141 Sherbrooke Street West, 3rd Floor, SP 365.01

Résumé

A standard heuristic argument in general relativity textbooks for associating gravity not with a force but with curvature of space-time concerns the phenomenon of gravitational redshift of clocks. Yet there are distinct ways in which Pound-Rebka-type experiments are interpreted in the literature, and distinct ways in which the notion of curvature is related to redshift. A related argument common to a number of recent textbooks is found wanting. 

 

 

Note: Professor Harvey Brown is the Strategic Knowledge Cluster TaU (Time and Universe) Lecturer for 2006. The lectures are sponsored by SSHRC (Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada).

 



Date: Thursday, November 9, 2006 
Time: 4:00 PM
Place: Concordia University, Loyola Campus, Science Pavilion (Building SP), 7141 Sherbrooke Street West, 3rd Floor 
Room: SP 365.01
Contact: 514-848-2424 ext 2595

Note: There are regular shuttle buses traveling between Sir George Williams Campus (1455 de Maisonneuve Blvd. W.) and Loyola Campus; see Shuttle bus schedule.

Body
Groupe de Physique des particules
Université de Montréal
C.P. 6128, Succ. Centre-ville,
Montréal, QC H3C 3J7
Canada
Tél : 514-343-5607
Fax : 514-343-7357
gppweb[at]lps.umontreal.ca