GRAVITY AND THE TEMPORAL INERTIA OF MATTER
BY
BACKGROUND
In 1964 Frank B. Tatom originally conceived of the idea of a possible
relationship between gravity and the concept of the temporal inertia of
matter*, coupled with the acceleration of time.
For 19 years, when time permitted, he proceeded to develop this
relationship. In 1983 he contacted
several respected scientists, including Isaac Asimov, to seek their opinion and
advice. The majority of the individuals
contacted were quite skeptical but Dr. Asimov’s response was very favorable and
encouraging. In 1989 he discussed his
theory with a well-respected physicist, Al J. Fennelly. Dr. Fennelly reacted in a very positive
manner, offering to collaborate in the further development of this idea. The collaboration proved impractical, but
since that time the author has further refined and quantified the theory and,
after 46 years, he is currently in the process of formally publishing his
ideas.
ORGANIZATION OF WEBSITE
The purpose of this website is to
provide a platform for the presentation of a physical model dealing with the relationship
between gravity and certain proposed physical phenomena. These phenomena, which have only been
recently identified, are as follows:
·
temporal inertia of matter
·
acceleration of the passage of time
·
universal tensile stress
The presentation is divided into
seven parts as follows:
·
Appendix
A. Two-Dimensional Static Elastic
Membrane
·
Appendix
B. Three-Dimensional Static Elastic
Membrane
·
Appendix
C. Three-Dimensional Dynamic Elastic
Membrane
·
Appendix
D. Motion of a Particle on a String
·
Appendix
E. Resolution of an Apparent
Contradiction
·
Appendix
F. Relationship Between Temporal
Acceleration and Cosmological Constant
The author, Frank B. Tatom, is an
engineer without formal training in relativistic physics. Much of the physical model presented is derived
from Newtonian physics simply extrapolated into a four-dimensional space-time
continuum. All comments are
invited. The author can be reached at fbtatom@mindspring.com.
_______________________________________________________________________________________
* The term, “temporal inertia”, based on the various
ways it has been used, has several different meanings. In some technical writing, the first word,
“temporal”, is used to mean “transient” or “change with respect to time”, while the second word, “inertia”, signifies
the actual physical property described by Newton’s First Law of Motion. In one case, involving a patent description,
the term, “temporal inertia”, was used to represent “slow rate of response” or
“lag time”. This same usage also
sometimes occurs when describing major social issues which slowly progress over
a period of years. Among time-travel
enthusiasts the term generally depicts the ponderous, irresistible nature of
the flow of time itself. The concept of
the “temporal inertia of matter”, as used in the current discussion, is
intended to describe how Matter or Mass exhibits resistance to a change in its
rate of progression through Time.