Let’s get this straight
Just to clarify this is an opinion-based, relatively non-scientific, “thinking-out-loud,” work-in-progress piece about space, time, gravity, light, physics, and alternative universes/dimensions. This post represents something I have an idea about, but don’t have the knowledge or proper resources to prove it. Regardless, I have a strong hunch that I’m onto something here. I’m no way claiming to be a scientist nor am I trying to sound like one, and this is far from a formal paper to be submitted to a scientific journal. So, just bear with me for a bit, and forgive me if anything I suggest here has already been firmly and categorically ruled out/disproven.
Also, feel free to help out or disagree in the comments (nicely, please). Maybe someday I’ll invest the proper time to thoroughly research this subject. Until then, this is a “thought piece,” and my knowledge of the subject is based on what I’ve learned about physics in junior high school and what I’ve seen in documentaries or read in articles. So admittedly, I’ll be fairly light on citing sources as I believe the information is either from my memory or considered generally available knowledge. Like I said, if I do some serious research then I’ll be prudent about citing sources.
A seed for a hunch
One of the seeds that led to the blossoming of my “great hunch” relates to Newton’s Third Law of Motion, “For every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction” (2022). This Law explains that forces always come in pairs – equal and opposite, action-reaction force pairs. After some thoughts one day, I realized that there seemed to be three “forces” that didn’t appear to follow suit, and the “light bulb” flickered on. What if they actually do interact with each other in some way to produce the opposite reactions to fulfill the Third Law of Motion? The three “forces” to which I’m referring are Gravity, Light, and Time. I have parentheses around “forces” because I know not all of them are considered a true force in all circles. In addition, I know that Einstein’s Theory of Relativity argues Gravity is not a force, but a plane that is warped by the mass of large, “heavy” objects (Dutfield et al., 2023). On this point, I’m going to take some liberties that my creative license affords me and go ahead with gravity being a force. Although, I think my conclusions could still fit within his Theory with a little more knowledge on the subject and creative thinking on my part.
I’ll also take another chance here to prove my humility and recognition that I’m not trained in this field. With respect to the Theory of Relativity and its explanation of gravity, I may not fully understand this theory. However, I can’t stop thinking about how all the objects of the universe were blasted out from the singularity in all different directions which later created the stars, galaxies, planets, and us. How could that establish single plane/s across the universe where “heavy” objects sit? I understand there could be more than “one plane,” but how could two different galaxies theoretically spinning on different angled planes be attracted to each other and eventually collide if they had to be on one plane to be warped by heavy objects? Again, I may have missed the mark on this one. Regardless, feel free to leave any comments below if you have a better explanation of the Theory of Relativity that might help me better understand it, or about any other possible “one-directional” forces. I’m fine if it proves my hunch wrong. Like I said, I’m mostly thinking out loud…
Word to the GLT
While Gravity, Light, and Time (GLT as I’ll refer to them in the rest of the article) seem unrelated to each other, I argue that somehow they are connected to and/or interdependent of each other. While I’m unable to put my finger on the specifics, I believe that these GLT forces could somehow be “byproducts” of each other/s. In some convoluted space love triangle, each of them could be a result of any combination of interactions of the other two forces, and somehow end up equaling out the Third Law of Motion. So, each may exist as a result of the existence of one of the others. Just as when a massive star explodes sending gravitational waves throughout the universe or as fusion (atoms smooshed together) takes place over and over again in a star, like our sun, to create rays of energy that blast out into its solar system, something happens with one or a combination of these GLT forces that creates the other/s. Since we are discussing “force,” maybe in some way these three forces are the “opposing force” or “opposite reaction” of the other/s when something extreme happens.
I know I’m a little sloppy at this point with my interpretation of the Third Law of Motion while also mixing in “byproducts” of reactions between elements/atoms. Let’s just say I know there has to be some kind of a connection, whether GLT are a byproduct of a reaction or if they are the “opposing forces” of each other somehow.
This hunch popped up in my mind when some of the many thoughts floating around my brain finally aligned, and I recognized that these GLT forces had one thing in common – they are one-directional. Hence, they have no opposite reaction – they can’t be reversed, completely. After some “exhaustive” research (sarcasm included), I’ve not come across any mention or explanation of this possible GLT connection. Then, there are extreme circumstances when a combination of these forces affect the others in some way. During these interactions, each have an effect on the other to varying degrees. Here is a quick and very generalized breakdown.
Now it is time for a breakdown
Gravity permeates throughout the universe and is both weak and extremely strong. It can’t be “seen.” It only moves in one direction – inward towards the “heavy” objects creating it. Obviously if there are two massive objects near each other, the gravity of each will fight it out so you could say in this case there are opposing directions. But, I’m speaking about the gravity of one object alone. Just the one force. At this point, I’m not aware of any changes to gravity when it interacts with the other GLT forces in extreme circumstances.
Light streaks through the “empty” darkness of space always away from its source with little to no deviation from its original path. I don’t often hear “Light” being referred to as a force – again “I ain’t no expert.” However, I know that lasers (concentrated light) can be used to move objects in space with special sails, meaning there is force. Unlike the other two, Light can be seen – for the most part depending on the wavelength. In extreme circumstances, gravity can cause light to bend – usually when passing by something with very strong gravity.
Time also permeates throughout the universe always ticking forward and can’t be seen – directly (Thompson, 2016). Obviously, clocks are not views of Time but only our creations to track the passage of “Time” relative to our view and place in the universe. I guess one could argue whether or not the decay of things is how Time could be seen. Also, some may argue whether or not Time is actually a “force.” Maybe just out of convenience for my hunch, I’ll consider it a force. For one, it is the only “constant” for which we can pinpoint (relatively) events across the universe, and second, what else is “decay” but the unstoppable force for Time’s constant movement forward. Although considered a constant, time can be affected by extreme gravity and when you approach the speed of light. I’ll dig into this in a moment.
Let’s get connected
Now about the connections I’m making between GLT. As I’ve mentioned, none of these forces can be reversed, but can come pretty close in extremely, extreme circumstances – at least for time and light. Time can be slowed down, but never stopped or put in reverse according to the Second Law of Thermodynamics – at least that’s what we “know” so far (Stewart, 2024). Light always moves away from its source, but it can be bent. However, in rare occurrences, light might actually be stopped. Gravity will always move in towards the object with mass. This object itself could be drawn towards a heavier massive object, but it still has its own gravity – to a point maybe.
Now, how and/or what creates these extreme circumstances I’ve mentioned? As you have probably guessed, Black Holes represent those “extremely, extreme circumstances” where GLT are affected. I need to give some background on my thoughts about Black Holes which helps establish the basis of my conclusions about GLT. In trying to put this into terms of basic metaphors for my understanding, I’ll say gravity is like a “magnet,” but acting in one direction as far as we know. I think there are enough similarities to justify this comparison. There are some differences that don’t necessarily fit, but I’m getting to those.
- The most important similarities of Black Holes and magnets:
Magnetism and gravity attract things in towards themselves. This is mostly what I’m focusing on.
- The differences that don’t really mean anything:
Magnets will only attract certain elements, and to see any real effects, these elements must be relatively close to the magnet.
Gravity attracts everything regardless of the type of element – at least in our perception/interpretation of it. Also, it’s possible that Dark Matter and Dark Energy are not affected by Gravity. That’s all “new theory” stuff, and I’m not going to dive into that discussion. While it is strongest when elements are closest, it can reach thousands, millions, and billions of miles, not to mention light years, from its origination point. Think of our sun holding our solar system together versus the Super Massive Black Hole holding our Milky Way galaxy together.
- Now the questionable differences:
Magnets have both attractive and repulsive forces – positive and negative nodes. So it not only can pull things towards itself, but it also repels the elements – in very simplistic terms.
As mentioned, Gravity only has one apparent force – to pull things into its source. However, the objects it attracts don’t appear to go anywhere. Things just pile up and mash into itself to create more mass to create more gravity.
In terms of Black Holes, we don’t know what happens to the things it has attracted. Since Black Holes are such extreme, powerful events, “we” have come to assume (theorize or hypothesize) that there is something happening on the “other side” of the Black Hole – at least that is what we do when we feel like we know something but can’t prove it outright.
Who knew?
I listed the last item under “Questionable” because what if there is “another side” to the Black Hole? Could it then be similar to a magnet and “repel” things on its other side? Early predictions of Black Holes proposed that everything that entered a Black Hole was completely destroyed, never to be recovered. Interestingly enough, this belief was led by Stephen Hawkings. Eventually, Hawking lost a “big bet” to John Preskill who held that matter is not destroyed in a Back Hole. Preskill likened Black Holes to sink drains. Anything that enters is instead dispersed somewhere else. Therefore, the matter/elements could be gathered to rebuild their previous form – of course theoretically as it would take a huge effort and long time to put that jigsaw puzzle back together (Zyga, 2011). The “somewhere else” is still a mystery. This is where I throw my hat in the ring to say a Black Hole could be pathway to another dimension/universe.
Back to the questions
To get back to the point of this post, I return to these questions. Where is the opposite, repelling force of Gravity? Could this opposite force exist through a Black Hole and released into a different dimension outside of our perception?
What is the opposite, repelling force of Light? Obviously, darkness is the “opposite” of light, but there is more darkness than light in the universe. Darkness is also more about the absence of “everything.” Of course, this could take us into a whole other discussion about “Dark Matter,” but we’ll just leave that for another time. I’ll just run with the idea that Light has no opposite, repelling force. To take it a little further, we know that Light will bend around massive objects but regain its normal path. Then more theoretically, Black Holes (extreme gravity) are the only instances where Light could be stopped or possibly reversed. I’m not convinced it could be reversed, but either way, light can’t escape the black hole – hence the “black” in the name. On the other hand, could light go into a Black Hole and then “out the other side?” So, it wouldn’t necessarily be “stopped” or forced backwards. It could continue to move “forwards” away from the Black Hole, and as a result, it could continue to move away from its original source. On the other hand, could the process of going through the Black Hole change the light into a different wave length? Taking it further, could it become “dark energy” on the other side of the Black Hole? Or, could the result be something like my hunch? Could it help produce one of the other GLT forces?
Lastly, what is the opposite, repelling force of Time? As mentioned earlier, the running theory about Time is that it can’t be stopped nor move backwards. It can be slowed when interacting with a Black Hole as well as with Light. The closer you get to the speed of light the slower time moves – relative to other objects to time affecting objects at other “speeds.” As far as I know, we do not know or have a good theory about what happens to time in a Black Hole. Does it really go in it or through it – like into another dimension? Does it then go backwards in the other dimension or does it keep moving forward? Then does it speed up as it gets further away from the black hole in that other dimension?
Coming to an end for – now
Again, given these instances and circumstances of the GLT interactions, I believe there are too many “coincidences” for them not to be related to each other. They could either be “byproducts” of the interactions or represent the opposite/reaction of one another. The questions continue to stack up.
Um, that’s kind of all I’ve got for now. I know I’m leaving things dangling here, but like I said, this is a work in progress. Once I have a more profound idea as to what this all means or if I can eventually offer a decent hypothesis to indicate what happens and how it all ties together, I’ll get back to you. I’ll also take the chance to review any comments you have on the subject which might help me provide a more definitive ending to this post or hunch – granted if they are respectful.
Works Cited
(2022, February 22). Science in Action: Newton’S Third Law of Motion. Space Center Houston. Retrieved March 10, 2024, from https://spacecenter.org/science-in-action-newtons-third-law-of-motion/#:~:text=Newton%27s%20third%20law%20simply%20states,equal%20force%20upon%20object%20A
Dutfield, S., Tillman, N. T., & Bartels, M. (2023, May 14). What is the theory of general relativity? Space. Retrieved March 10, 2024, from https://www.space.com/17661-theory-general-relativity.html
Stewart, K. (2024, February 26). Laws of Thermodynamics. Britannica. Retrieved March 10, 2024, from https://britannica.com/science/laws-of-thermodynamics. Accessed 10 Mar. 2024.
Thomas, A. (2016, September 29). Why Times Go Forward Instead of Backwards? Popular Mechanics. Retrieved March 10, 2024, from https://popularmechanics.com/science/a23140/why-time-goes-forward/
Zyga, L. (2011, March 7). Quantum no-hiding theorem experimentally confirmed for first time. Phys.org. Retrieved March 10, 2024, from https://phys.org/news/2011-03-quantum-no-hiding-theorem-experimentally.html#