From: utzoo!decvax!harpo!seismo!hao!hplabs!sri-unix!BIESEL@RUTGERS
Newsgroups: net.physics
Title: General Relativity Paradox (?)
Article-I.D.: sri-arpa.453
Posted: Tue Feb 15 15:46:00 1983
Received: Mon Feb 21 09:00:38 1983


 	Recently an acquaintance popped this on me, and I was unable
to answer his questions satisfactorily.

General Relativity states that no experiment performed within non-inertial
reference frames can distinguish between
		1) Acceleration due to a gravitational field

		2) Constant acceleration due to propulsion, for example.
(Of course, an outside observer can always distinguish between these two
cases)
assume two identical closed boxes, each containing an observer and an
electrically charged sphere. One of the boxes resides in a constant
gravitational field, the other is undergoing constant linear acceleration
in 'flat' space. Now Maxwell's equations predict that an accelerationg charge
will generate an electromagnetic field, and will radiate energy ( which
presumably comes from the energy supplying the acceleration). General
Relativity would seem to demand that the charged sphere in the gravitational
also radiate energy. If so, where does the energy come from; if not, how
does this square with General Relativity?

	Where is the fallacy?

	Regards,
		Pete.
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