From Tom Clarke
Whilst distant from each other, these two statements in the 20 May New
Scientist are clearly not an “entangled pair”.
On p 38:
” . . . at one of the Lagrangian points—stable points where the
gravitational tug from the Sun and the Earth cancel each other out”., and
on p 51:
” . . . at the point where the gravitational forces of the Sun and Earth
balance out. Unfortunately, this is an unstable orbital position.” Or is this a
“quantum super-imposition” of statements that “can be both vertically and
horizontally polarised at the same time”
(p 27)?
Stephen Battersby writes: The second article is right: this
Lagrangian point is indeed an unstable position. If an object is slightly
off-centre, it will accelerate slowly away, like a ball left near the top of a
hill. Incidentally, the net gravitational effect is not zero, but an attraction
towards the Sun strong enough to keep an object orbiting with a one-year
period.
Newcastle on Tyne
