Fwd: GR title

[Jeffrey Reid]

On Mon, 29 Apr 1996 Ronkarate at aol.com wrote:
> >I have always wondered what others make of the title of Gravity's
> >Rainbow, both literally and figuratively.
>
> On the more literal side, I have always assumed GRt referred to the arc made
> by a rising and falling object--with the missile of the opening sequence
> immediately springing to mind.
>
I have always had the picture in my mind of the gravitational analogy of a
rainbow.  Since a rainbow is simply an ensemble of electromagnetic waves
(photons) which is having its components bent at angles which are
frequency dependent...

I see the analogy as a collection of stellar gas or dust in deep space
taking a distribution of gravity waves (gravitons) and bending its
frequencies in the same way creating a very mild (i.e. probably undetectable)
rainbow distribution of graviton frequencies (assuming that you can find
a material with a suitably similar 'gravitational' index of refraction).

Too bad TRP probably only meant GR as a parabola parable.

Jeff

---------------------------------------------------------------
Jeffrey G Reid       			jgreid at u.washington.edu
---------------------------------------------------------------
"O holy mathematics, may I for the rest of my days be consoled
 by perpetual intercourse with you, consoled for the wickedness
 of man and the injustice of the Almighty!"  -- Isidore Ducasse