Affiliations 

  • 1 School of Science, Monash University, Bandar Sunway, Selangor, Malaysia
PLoS One, 2012;7(4):e34720.
PMID: 22536328 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0034720

Abstract

We show, contrary to expectation, that the trajectory predicted by general-relativistic mechanics for a low-speed weak-gravity system is not always well-approximated by the trajectories predicted by special-relativistic and newtonian mechanics for the same parameters and initial conditions. If the system is dissipative, the breakdown of agreement occurs for chaotic trajectories only. If the system is non-dissipative, the breakdown of agreement occurs for chaotic trajectories and non-chaotic trajectories. The agreement breaks down slowly for non-chaotic trajectories but rapidly for chaotic trajectories. When the predictions are different, general-relativistic mechanics must therefore be used, instead of special-relativistic mechanics (newtonian mechanics), to correctly study the dynamics of a weak-gravity system (a low-speed weak-gravity system).

* Title and MeSH Headings from MEDLINE®/PubMed®, a database of the U.S. National Library of Medicine.