Cavendish Experiment

Gravity in Mass

Abstract

In 1797–98, Henry Cavendish measured the force between masses using a torsion balance, producing the first experimental value of the gravitational constant, G. Long seen as a proof of Newtonian gravity, the experiment reveals deeper insights when revisited through the Energentia (E∞) framework. It hints that what’s measured may not be “massive attraction” — but a differential in propagation impedance due to local field coherence.

Introduction

Cavendish’s goal was to “weigh the Earth” — by detecting the tiny attractive force between lead spheres. He suspended small masses from a torsion wire and measured their deflection when larger masses were brought nearby. This deflection let him calculate the gravitational constant G, and thereby Earth’s mass.

But from a E∞ view, where gravity is a gradient of energy propagation speed — i.e., g_v = -d_c/d_x — the Cavendish setup offers more than confirmation of Newton. It provides a testbed for exploring how field properties — not mass — govern attraction.

Experimental Foundation

• A light rod with two small lead spheres is suspended horizontally from a thin torsion wire.
• Two much larger lead spheres are placed near the smaller ones on either side.
• The gravitational attraction between the large and small spheres causes the rod to twist.
• The angle of twist (from equilibrium) is proportional to the gravitational force, from which G is derived.

General Interpretation (Classical)

• Newton’s law of universal gravitation is applied: F = G × (m₁ × m₂) / r₂
• The observed twist gives a force value, confirming the inverse-square law.
• No medium is assumed; mass is the source of gravitational attraction.
• The result quantifies G, completing Newton’s framework.

Under Charge Admittance

• Gravity arises not from “massive pull” but from slower energy propagation in regions of higher field coherence (i.e., regions shaped by accelerated charge).
• The experiment detects changes in energy flow impedance — not attraction between static “masses.”

Key reframe:

Comparative Analysis

Aspect	Classical View	E∞ Framework
Cause of Force	Mass attracts mass	Propagation gradient in a field
Medium	None (action at distance)	Structured field with charge-derived coherence
Role of G	Universal constant	Emergent scalar of local impedance
Mass	Fundamental property	Emergent from field behavior
What’s measured	Force between masses	Differential energy propagation (admittance)

Implications

• The torsion force arises because the energy field between the spheres has a coherence differential, creating an admittance slope.
• Since energy propagation slows in more coherent regions, this creates a propagation imbalance — interpreted as force.
• The masses are not the cause — they are the result of underlying charge acceleration and coherence structuring.
• E∞ suggests performing the experiment with materials of equal mass but different dielectric separations should yield different results.
• If true, this overturns the idea of mass as a source — and recasts it as an effect.

Future Work

Dielectric Insert Test

• Insert slabs of varying permittivity between the large and small spheres.
• Prediction: If field admittance is causal, force varies even though mass remains constant.

Pressure-Variable Gas Medium

• Run the experiment in vacuum, then under different pressures of noble gas.
• Prediction: Small changes in propagation impedance will yield measurable changes in twist.

Conclusion

The Cavendish experiment stands not only as the first measurement of G, but potentially as the first clue that mass isn’t the cause of gravity. Through the lens of E∞, the twist of a torsion wire becomes evidence of an energy propagation differential, not attraction.

If verified, this reframe repositions one of the oldest “gravity” proofs as the starting point of a radically new physics — one where coherence, not curvature, defines structure.