quote:
Originally posted by apache:
...anything regarding the gravitational forces at the center of a massive object is completely theoretical, and there is absolutely no experimental proof to support any of it. Therefore, taking it as a fact is something best done with a grain of salt, rather, an entire salt shaker.
Well, I can't argue logically with that. It might very well be that everything we know about gravity goes out the window once you're near the center of a massive object. However, if I take your point of view, then the universe is unknowable. Even if I mangaged somehow to do the experiment on Jupiter, how would I know that I'd get the same result on Saturn? (On the other hand, I'd agree with you if we're talking about black holes, because the gravity is so intense that our understanding of it may not hold under such extreme conditions.)
Like all scientists, I take it as a matter of faith that the universe is comprehensible (if we're smart enough) and reasonable (if we're open-minded enough). One time Einstein was told that some experimentalists had found some tiny flaw in his general theory of relativity, which they said could be fixed by adding a high-order "fudge factor" to his theory. Einstein calmly replied, "Subtle is God, but deceitful He is not." The flaw was later shown to be an experimental artifact.
Re: Atmosphere
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