Weatherall, James Owen (2011) On the Status of the Geodesic Principle in Newtonian and Relativistic Physics. [Preprint]

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Abstract

A theorem due to Bob Geroch and Pong Soo Jang ["Motion of a Body in General Relativity." Journal of Mathematical Physics 16(1), (1975)] provides a sense in which the geodesic principle has the status of a theorem in General Relativity (GR). I have recently shown that a similar theorem holds in the context of geometrized Newtonian gravitation (Newton-Cartan theory) [Weatherall, J. O. "The Motion of a Body in Newtonian Theories." Journal of Mathematical Physics 52(3), (2011)]. Here I compare the interpretations of these two theorems. I argue that despite some apparent differences between the theorems, the status of the geodesic principle in geometrized Newtonian gravitation is, mutatis mutandis, strikingly similar to the relativistic case.

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Item Type:	Preprint
Creators:	Creators Email ORCID Weatherall, James Owen weatherj@uci.edu
Keywords:	inertial motion; geodesic principle; geometrized Newtonian gravitation; general relativity; Newton-Cartan theory; Geroch-Jang theorem
Subjects:	Specific Sciences > Physics > Relativity Theory
Depositing User:	James Owen Weatherall
Date Deposited:	12 Jun 2011 21:34
Last Modified:	12 Jun 2011 21:34
Item ID:	8662
Subjects:	Specific Sciences > Physics > Relativity Theory
Date:	2011
URI:	https://philsci-archive.pitt.edu/id/eprint/8662

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