User:Terence Coates

The recent media reports of Stephen Hawkins latest book, prompts me to ponder the subject of gravity. Why is it that gravity is always a force of attraction? Considering other forces - suction  and blowing,  pushing and pulling,  positive and negative charges, north & south poles etc. - all with opposing forces. With magnets like poles repel and opposite poles attract, so why do  2 like masses attract? Is there any system other than gravity that exhibits this phenomenon? Consider a simple particle made up of 2 dipoles, these may be arranged end to end, or side by side with like poles touching , however to retain this assembly there would have to be some restraint, otherwise they would be either end to end, (magnetic) or side by side (non magnetic) with north adjacent to south. Now consider a second pair of dipoles in this non magnetic state and at some distance from the first pair. Would interaction between the fringe fields result in a force between the 2 pairs? Assuming freedom to rotate this would be a force of attraction and  could be end to end or side by side. Such a force if it exists would no doubt be much smaller than that between  a north and south pole. Does this suggest a possible explanation of  gravity? tcoates142@btinternet.com