Spring-And-Loop Theory
 

8    Redescription of gravity

As mentioned, I've summed up Spring-And-Loop Theory with:
Strings have become springs.
Loops are gravitons.
The-glue-is-the-new.

I can't take credit for every word of this. It looks as though physicists were talking about gravitons being loops as early as 1991^08_01.

Still whoever is engraving the plaque should consider adding a Welsh & Scottish chosen name of a former-Canadian of English and Jersey ancestry now residing in America.

Two Is Better Than One

So instead of a string system, we have a spring-loop system, with gravitons being the loops? And the springs are really just strings, but you wanted to sell your book so you changed the name by one letter, amiright?

Worse, I discarded most of string theory as well.

In fairness, those six curled up microscopic dimensions probably still have their tiny place. And Calabi, Yau? Your careers are secure. But I won't be bothering to talk about any of that here, despite this being a "smells like string theory" book.

I have just found that, when trying to visualize the whole thing, I was able to take a pretty good trip without the need for complicated formulas, or psychedelics^08_02 for that matter.

Travelling light^08_03 is what this book is all about -- providing something new that leverages what has already been laid down.

A New Gravity

So, there are springs, and loops, and you are going to replace String Theory with just that?

Yup.

For one thing, these are no ordinary springs as we shall see in the next chapter.

For another, I've got a few more changes planned.

Gravity Detracts From The Unity Ball

Earlier I stated that Spring-And-Loop Theory provides a model of how gravity and the other forces work together. This unification may not be what we have been led to expect. The reason is that loops and springs are fundamentally different.

Saying they can be unified is like finding out that the body of the yoyo and the string are both made of atoms.

Graviton loops are the "missed stitches"^08_04 in the fabric of life and each missed stitch affects the fabric of space-time^08_05 negatively.

Gravity is the downer to the spring's upper...

...since springs are the no longer mysterious "dark energy".

Outlandish claims but let's see if it rings true^08_06.

Imagine If You Will...

...a Universal Matrix. Seriously, start imagining it now because from here on out that is what I am calling space. You know, the "empty" stuff? Up there?

Now imagine that this Universal Matrix is made up entirely of springs.

No watch springs, these workaholics are still pulsing from the bell-ringing to deafen all bell-ringers. Fifteen billion years and still going strong. Presently in the key of of 2.7 Kelvin^08_07.

That tune, formerly known as the Big Bang refrain, also gets a makeover here. Apologies if I forgot to warn you.

Gravity Can't Knit To Save Its Life

There are a number of reasons why I like the 2008 movie "Wanted", but right now it is because it involves fabrics with errors in them. Who would have imagined how close that was to describing everything?

Gravity as loops that represent or create holes in "space" (i.e. the Universal Matrix) must be one of the more unintuitive concepts of this new model.

Still, there it is.

You Can Quote Me

Gravity attracts nothing^08_08. The whole notion of an "attractive" force has bothered me from the get-go. Things don't get along, they move apart. The trend is so unavoidable they've given it a name and made it a law^08_09.

Gravity is the dropped stitch of the Universal Matrix.

Gravity compacts space. Others have said it curves or warps space, but I think this is more descriptive. I also like "compresses" and "shrinks".

"Curving" something suggests the curve can go either way. Gravity is more like taking your Gi and then washing and drying it on the hot cycle. Gravity is shrunken martial arts attire.

Reconstituted Crystals

Once you start drinking the Spring-And-Loop Theory elixir, it becomes easier to see why Einstein's famous equation applies only to gravity^08_10.

Fish don't know they're in water. The Universal Matrix is pure energetic springs. Imagining those "becoming energy" doesn't compute. Only mass (i.e. loops) can become energy.

But then what does "loops can become energy" mean? What happens to a loop when it becomes energy?

Making The Universe A Better Place

Imagine a sweater with a dropped stitch. Now imagine that stitch repaired. Warmer garment, right?

Now imagine an energy transport matrix (the UM). Imagine a hole in that matrix. Energy transport decreases. Now remove that hole. Energy transport increases.

When a graviton loop is removed, energy is definitely "released". The log jam is no more and logs can flow freely once again.

This particular metaphor might take a moment or two to grasp. Moments are allowed in these parts. Take them. Go. Grasp.

Other Consequences

Another happy accident of this new metaphor is that Einstein's frame-of-reference Special Relativity stuff just sort of pops out. No number crunching at all. Coolio!

Specifically, Einstein (extending what Galileo worked on, apparently^08_11) said that "all uniform motion is relative, and that there is no absolute and well-defined state of rest"^08_12.

In plain language, you can't tell the difference between being in a gravitational field (like on Earth, for example) and riding in a spacecraft that is accelerating you at the same rate (i.e. 9.8 m/s2 on the third planet at least^08_13).

In even simpler terms: accelerations are the same, whether caused by gravity or a rocket engine.

Spring-And-Loop Theory sees the similarity of these two so vividly that it almost can't separate them. In both cases, "you" (i.e. one or more loops), are entwined in the Universal Matrix of springs.

Door #1 Or Door #2

Case #1: If you try to move (e.g. take off in a rocket), your loops are pulling against entwined springs and require increasing amounts of energy to move ever quicker (i.e. to accelerate) because higher velocity means more spring-loop breaks per second.

Case #2: If you are next to a large mass (e.g. standing on Earth, and thus being accelerated by gravity), you will be trying to break spring-loop connections in proportion to the amount of mass involved. More mass means more loops to break, means more energy to "lift a foot", as increased energy is required to handle increased gravity.

In case one, you are moving relative to the Universal Matrix. In case two you are not. That is the only difference.

Take a moment. Process. Return.

I'm No Genius

I wouldn't want you to think I am some sort of smartie pants who figured things out easier than Einstein. Rather, the model I've conceived of represents such an increase in clarity, is such an easier model to work with, that even a kid (like me) can do it.

Spring-And-Loop Theory is a golden opportunity for those of us less blessed with the desire to work with blackboards of physics formulas to show we are down with the latest cosmology the next time we are throwing a few racks or downing a few at the local bowling alley or brew pub respectively and respectfully.

And to think that all of this was motivated by my dislike of "attractive" forces...

Late Thoughts

The Spring-And-Loop Theory model of "loops in a Universal Matrix of springs" makes it trivially easy to see why gravity propagates at the speed of light. Imagine removing a loop "here" and having nothing but "space" (springs) all the way to "there". When you remove a loop, "space" expands. That is, the springs adjust. And we already know that "pure spring space stuff" moves at the speed of light. QED^08_14.

I'm kind of itching to move on with the other chapters and get this all published, so I apologize if I have left out a few of the other ways that Spring And Loop Theory changes our understanding of gravity. The second edition will catch any stragglers, I promise.
 

---

Previous Chapter (7)  Table Of Contents  References  Contact  Next Chapter (9)