Gravitation/Scalar theories

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 * Scalar theories of gravitation

The Wikipedia lede
See permanent link as of 06:28, 20 April 2015].

Scalar theories of gravitation are field theories of gravitation in which the gravitational field is described using a scalar field, which is required to satisfy some field equation.

Note: This article focuses on relativistic classical field theories of gravitation. The best known relativistic classical field theory of gravitation, general relativity, is a tensor theory, in which the gravitational interaction is described using a tensor field


 * Isn't this contradictory? The article is "Scalar theories of gravitation, but then it purports to focus on "relativistic classical field theories", of which the "best known" is not a scalar theory, it is a tensor theory. Something is off! --Abd (discuss • contribs) 00:51, 14 May 2015 (UTC)

Newtonian gravity
permanent link to section06:28, 20 April 2015

The prototypical scalar theory of gravitation is Newtonian gravitation. [...]

Nordström's theories of gravitation
permanent link to section, 06:28, 20 April 2015

The first attempts to present a relativistic (classical) field theory of gravitation were also scalar theories. Gunnar Nordström created two such theories. [...]

Einstein's scalar theory
permanent link to section, 06:28, 20 April 2015

In 1913, Einstein [,...] [i]nspired by Nordström's work, ... proposed his own scalar theory. [...]

Einstein dropped this theory in late 1914. [...] [T]he theory he finally arrived at in 1915, general relativity, is a tensor theory, not a scalar theory. [...]

Additional variations
permanent link to section 06:28, 20 April 2015


 * Kaluza–Klein theory
 * Brans–Dicke theory
 * Zee
 * Watt–Misner theory

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