Page:Eddington A. Space Time and Gravitation. 1920.djvu/169

CH. X] former is to explain facts; the duty of the latter is to explain away facts.

Our present theory seems to make a start at tackling this problem, but gives it up. It permits the observer, if he wishes, to consider the earth as non-rotating, but surrounded by a field of centrifugal force; all the other bodies in the universe are then revolving round the earth in orbits mainly controlled by this field of centrifugal force. Astronomy on this basis is a little cumbersome; but all the phenomena are explained perfectly. The centrifugal force is part of the gravitational field, and obeys Einstein's law of gravitation, so that the laws of nature are completely satisfied by this representation. One awkward question remains, What causes the centrifugal force? Certainly not the earth which is here represented as non-rotating. As we go further into space to look for a cause, the centrifugal force becomes greater and greater, so that the more we defer the debt the heavier the payment demanded in the end. Our present theory is like the debtor who does not mind how big an obligation accumulates satisfied that he can always put off the payment. It chases the cause away to infinity, content that the laws of nature—the relations between contiguous parts of the world—are satisfied all the way.

One suggested loophole must be explored. Our new law of gravitation admits that a rapid motion of the attracting body will affect the field of force. If the earth is non-rotating, the stars must be going round it with terrific speed. May they not in virtue of their high velocities produce gravitationally a sensible field of force on the earth, which we recognise as the centrifugal field? This would be a genuine elimination of absolute rotation, attributing all effects indifferently to the rotation of the earth the stars being at rest, or to the revolution of the stars the earth being at rest; nothing matters except the relative rotation. I doubt whether anyone will persuade himself that the stars have anything to do with the phenomenon. We do not believe that if the heavenly bodies were all annihilated it would upset the gyrocompass. In any case, precise calculation shows that the centrifugal force could not be produced by the motion of the stars, so far as they are known.

We are therefore forced to give up the idea that the signs of