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equivalence principle

A Dictionary of Astronomy | 1997 | 408 words | Copyright

equivalence principle The principle that the effects of a gravitational field cannot be distinguished from those of uniform acceleration. In a small region within a gravitational field, the laws of physics may be regarded as the same as in an accelerated frame in the absence of gravity. The principle arises from general relativity and is another way of stating that gravitational mass equals inertial mass.

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