Natural Science Forum / Physics / Electromagnetism / March 2010

A key component to Relativity is that Inertial Mass and Gravitational Mass
are the same.

An often-used example would be to consider an observer in an enclosed
spacecraft under constant acceleration. The relatavistic postulate is that
the observer would not be able to detremine -- using any experiments
whatsoever -- whether the force that he was experiencing was due to
acceleration or gravity.

In 1967, Witteborn & Fairbank, then at Stanford Univ., performed a series of
experiments with electrons in a supercooled (4.2K) copper tube and in a
vacuum. They measured the fall of elctrons and concluded that the
gravitational mass of an electron was only 0.09 times the inertial mass of
an electron. (Subsequent commentary on this experiment seems to cast doubt
on the ability of the Stanford pair to adequately shield the electrons from
external fields. However, Witteborn's measurements indicate a measured E
field of 6 x 10 to the minus 11 eV/m.)

Witteborn's results, if correct and NOT attributable to outside or induced
fields, would seem to cast doubt on a basic tenet of Relativity.

So... a question and a comment.

Question: Is anyone aware of any attempts since 1967 to recreate the
Witteborn experiment?

Comment: Witteborn attributed the difference to induced voltage in the
copper. Mills (of Hydrino "fame") has calculated that the energy levels
required to support Witteborn's explanation are many orders of magnitude in
error. Mills claims that the gravitational mass of the unbound electron is
zero, and under some circumstances (collision with atoms) can actually
become negative.

If Mills is correct, this would lead to the possibility of antigravity.

Comments on *this* comment should be interesting!

Bill Miller