Fay, Jonathan and Dennis, Braun (2025) On Reissner’s hypothesis: A review of 20th Century relational models for the unification of gravity and inertia. [Preprint]
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Abstract
This paper revisits a largely overlooked line of thought originating with Reissner’s 1915 proposal: that gravity may be a necessary consequence of the relativity of inertia. We survey a range of historical models developed throughout the 20th Century that attempt to unify gravity and inertia by deriving the two in unison. While the unification of gravity and inertia is primarily recognized within the framework of Einstein’s general relativity, we show that several lesser-known and largely classical models go further by attempting to explain this equivalence, thereby aiming at a deeper unification. Our analysis distinguishes four classes of models and argues that those incorporating internal particle motion—especially Cook’s quantum-mechanical approach—offer the most comprehensive account of this unification. Cook’s model, which derives gravitational attraction from the quantum zitterbewegung of elementary particles, suggests a direct link between gravity, inertia, special relativity, and quantum mechanics. By systematically comparing these approaches, we revive a promising and under-explored avenue toward a dynamical explanation of gravity and inertia, combining the physics of the largest and smallest scales in nature: of cosmology and the quantum properties of elementary matter.
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| Item Type: | Preprint | |||||||||
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| Keywords: | Relational inertia, Gravitational constant, Zitterbewegung, Quantum gravity | |||||||||
| Subjects: | Specific Sciences > Physics > Cosmology General Issues > History of Science Case Studies General Issues > Models and Idealization Specific Sciences > Physics > Quantum Gravity Specific Sciences > Physics > Relativity Theory Specific Sciences > Physics > Symmetries/Invariances |
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| Depositing User: | Mr. Jonathan Fay | |||||||||
| Date Deposited: | 07 Apr 2025 14:03 | |||||||||
| Last Modified: | 07 Apr 2025 14:03 | |||||||||
| Item ID: | 25011 | |||||||||
| Subjects: | Specific Sciences > Physics > Cosmology General Issues > History of Science Case Studies General Issues > Models and Idealization Specific Sciences > Physics > Quantum Gravity Specific Sciences > Physics > Relativity Theory Specific Sciences > Physics > Symmetries/Invariances |
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| Date: | 1 April 2025 | |||||||||
| URI: | https://philsci-archive.pitt.edu/id/eprint/25011 |
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