One of the most counter-intuitive notions in physics is that all objects fall at the same rate, regardless of mass, aka the equivalence principle. This was memorably illustrated in 1971 by NASA Apollo ...

Since Galileo Galilei and Newton, the assumption is valid that inert and heavy mass are equivalent. This is, however, questioned by new physical theories such as the String theory. Now, the ...

As the story goes, Italian astronomer Galileo Galilei ascended the Leaning Tower of Pisa in the 16th century to drop two spheres of different masses at the same time—proving that they would land on ...

The MICROSCOPE mission tested the weak equivalence principle with free-falling objects in a satellite. When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here’s how it ...

Physicists are close to performing the most accurate tests of Einstein’s ideas about gravity ever undertaken. Their first-of-its-kind experiment involves using two kinds of extremely cold atoms aboard ...

In new studies published in Physical Review Letters and a special issue of Classical and Quantum Gravity on September 14, a team of researchers present the most precise test yet of the Weak ...

Ars Technica has been separating the signal from the noise for over 25 years. With our unique combination of technical savvy and wide-ranging interest in the technological arts and sciences, Ars is ...

Monisha Ravisetti was a science writer at CNET. She covered climate change, space rockets, mathematical puzzles, dinosaur bones, black holes, supernovas, and sometimes, the drama of philosophical ...

New research proves theoretically that the Weak Equivalence Principle can be violated by quantum particles in gravitational waves - the ripples in spacetime caused by colossal events such as merging ...

Extremely precise measurements are possible using atom interferometers that employ the wave character of atoms for this purpose. They can thus be used, for example, to measure the gravitational field ...