Physics education research, electronic materials, and the musings of Christopher Moore, Ph.D.

In the paper "GRAVITATION AND ELECTROMAGNETISM - Introduction to the THEORY OF INFORMATONS" - published on http://wbabin.net/astro/acke2.pdf ) is shown how the concept "information" can contribute to a better understanding of the physics of the macroscopic world: interactions between (whether or not charged) objects, electromagnetic radiation and waves, light.  This is the physics studied in textbooks for a calculus-based course for science and engineering students.

In the paper, the term INFORMATION is introduced in physics by narrowing its everyday meaning to a physical concept.  It is given a specific sense by defining it mathematically.

The "theory of informatons" starts from the idea that a physical object manifests itself in space by emitting INFORMATONS.  Informatons are dot-shaped mass- and energyless entities that rush away at the speed of light, carrying information about the position, the velocity and the electrical charge of the emitter.  The rules for the emission of informatons by a point mass at rest, and their attributes, are defined by the "postulate of the emission of informatons".

The consequences of the postulate for the gravitational interaction are developed in the paragraphs I to IV, and those for the electromagnetic interaction in paragraph V.  The physical entity FIELD and the physical quantities that characterize a field (FIELD STRENGHT, INDUCTION) acquier a new meaning.  The laws to which these quantities are subjected (MAXWELL'S LAWS) and the rules that manage the mutual forces (NEWTON, COULOMB, LORENTZ) are deduced.  One shows that there is a great analogy between a gravitational and an electromagnetic field, what implies that the gravitational field has a component that is analogous to the magnetic field.

In paragraph VI the "theory of informatons" is applied in the study of electromagnetic waves and radiation. The idea is introduced that PHOTONS  are informatons transporting an energy package.  This leads to the view that the deflection of light passing through a narrow split can be understood as the visible effect of the transition of energy packages between informatons that crosses each others paths.   Finally, the implications of the gravity-electromagnetism analogy are investigated for the existence of gravitational waves and gravitons.

Just like all other theories, the "theory of informatons" is a construct by the reason, a mathematically supported logical "language game" devised to understand in a simple and consistent manner all phenomena relative to gravity and electromagnetism.