From: scerir (scerir@libero.it)
Date: Sun Oct 08 2000 - 06:38:56 MDT
> ... if Mach is right, what happens to inertia in
> a big emptying bubble like that? If inertia is
> an effect of the mass of the rest of the universe,
> presumably it also diminishes over time, finally to
> nothing. Hmmm...
Damien Broderick
"Mach's Principle: From Newton to Quantum Gravity"
in the Einstein Studies, vol. 6, 1995.
Editors J.B. Barbour, H. Pfister.
Publ. by Springer Verlag.
May be useful. Based on the July 1993
title conference held in Tubingen, Germany,
covering historical, philosophical, astronomical,
theoretical, and experimental aspects of
Mach's Principle. Topics include Mach's criticism
of Einstein's reading of his work, nonrelativistic
Machian theories, general relativity as a Machian
theory, direct particle formulation of Mach's
principle, frame dragging, and quantum gravity,
with sections on testing Machian effects in laboratory
and space experiments and critical reflections.
Includes commentaries on papers and discussion
between contributors.
During 1967 G.B. Hess performed an interesting
experiment. He was investigating the creation
of quantized vortices in some superconducting
helium, cooled by means of slow rotations through
the superfluid transition temperature.
This helium was contained in a very small bucket,
magnetically suspended. And the helium stopped
rotating altogether. Why? With respect to what?
To those fixed stars? That suggested a fundamental
connection between that quantum condition
and the principle of Mach.
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