Article ID | Journal | Published Year | Pages | File Type |
---|---|---|---|---|
1161392 | Studies in History and Philosophy of Science Part B: Studies in History and Philosophy of Modern Physics | 2008 | 21 Pages |
Abstract
Whitehead's 1922 theory of gravitation continues to attract the attention of some philosophers, despite evidence presented in 1971 that it violates experiment. We demonstrate that the theory strongly fails five quite different experimental tests, and conclude that, notwithstanding its allegedly meritorious philosophical underpinnings, Whitehead's theory is truly dead. Our demolition of Whitehead's theory serves as a case study, to illustrate the depth, breadth and precision of current empirical bounds, which must be obeyed by any viable theory of gravitation.
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Physical Sciences and Engineering
Physics and Astronomy
Physics and Astronomy (General)
Authors
Gary Gibbons, Clifford M. Will,