What is gravity? What is the effect of a solar eclipse?

Nobody told you?  Guess Germany’s education system is inferior to the U.S. Don’t they have, like, books and stuff over there?
During solar eclipses, flying lunar monkeys descend upon the Earth, and become a nuisance to the planet’s barometric pressure, rotational speed, and gravity - much like a gremlin to a WW2 bomber.  Unfortunately, it’s nearly impossible to clip their wings and put them in a zoo, so we’ll have to continue suffering under their oppressive rule.  I, for one, welcome our flying lunar monkey overlords!  I’m just glad they aren’t communists…

Back to being serious - I think some confusion can be attributed to the method of simulating gravity in an orbiting space station by rotating it on a central axis.  Not gravity, but the perception could be the same, I guess (can’t say I’ve been in an orbiting space station).

I am not sure wether they ever last longer than 10 minutes at one spot.

http://www.krysstal.com/ecintro.html

From the article:
The maximum duration of Totality is 7m 31s. Eclipses over seven minutes long are rare; only three occurred during the 20th Century and none are expected in the 21st Century.

OK so what do you think as this as a possible explanation of why the larger animals died…

I guess its time to revise my claim regarding any gravity changes, but i still remember this idea discussed at length in class many years ago. I did find this offered as a better appreciation of what may have happened:

reprinted from this site-

[/http://www.equalparenting-bc.ca/members/planet_earth.htm

Why Were The Animals and Plants Larger During The Jurassic Age?

Fossil records indicate that the animals and plants, throughout the world, grew to record sizes for a period of time on this earth. This worldwide discovery of enlarged species cannot all be explained by genetic factors. Scientists, led by Dr. Carl Baugh Ph.D. from Glen Rose, Texas, researched the fossil records of plants, animals, and birds. They came to the conclusion that the Jurassic atmospheric had to contain more oxygen and more carbon dioxide with higher pressure than the present atmosphere (14.7psi.). Addition research at the University of Tokyo with tomato plants indicated that the higher pressure with more carbon dioxide stimulated growth factors in plants. Dr. Carl Baugh developed an academic model of this pre-flood Jurassic atmosphere. He believes that the atmospheric pressure was about 28psi absolute.  His academic model calls for about 23% oxygen and ten times more carbon dioxide (3/10 of 1%). His research group has built the world’s first hyperbaric biosphere.

Fascinated with these discoveries, in the early 90’s I began studies into plant growth processes. This led to my personal discovery of plant enzyme functions and pH modifiers. By the mid 90’s I had built a research greenhouse to experiment with the Jurassic plant growth hypothesizes. Meanwhile, research in the Glen Rose hyperbaric biosphere continued to produce some amazing discoveries with snakes and insects. I also came across hyperbaric oxygen research in Russia that claimed some exciting healing benefits from high-pressure chambers with pure oxygen. In 1995 I turned most of my efforts towards developing a hyperbaric oxygen chamber for people, which would be based upon this Jurassic academic atmospheric model. My chamber was designed to operate at 28 psi absolute range (13 psi gauge pressure). I used air/oxygen concentrators to produce medical grade oxygen for breathing through nasal cannulas. This new design criteria and improved mechanical features proved to be lower cost to build and operate. Doctors began sending people to my research chamber to see what effects pressurized, oxygen-enriched air had on them. Although my research and results were not extensive, I was impressed with the safety and potential use of low-pressure air mixed hyperbaric oxygen chambers.

The conventional hyperbaric oxygen chambers use much higher pressures with 100% pure oxygen to treat a wide range of medical conditions. There is over 40 years worth of worldwide research in this field and in many cases the results are very good but limited. The high-pressure use of 100% pure oxygen increased oxygen toxicity and reduced the treatment times. Even so, the conventional chambers demonstrated accelerated growth and repair processes while improving the immune system’s functions. The biggest reason for the lack of available chambers has been the high cost to buy and operate these chambers.

Finally back to the point of this brief, why were the animals and plants so large? Scientists and medical researchers have found that the enzymes, in both animals and people, build and repair their own cells, tissue, and organ parts. Plants also have enzymes involved in the repair and building processes. Enzymes are called into action by growth and repair hormones. The past hyperbaric oxygen research has demonstrated the fact that the cell and tissue regeneration speeds up while at higher oxygen and pressure. I concluded that the enzymes are moving faster during those growth or repair hormone periods. I assumed that more available oxygen allows the enzymes to work faster. This would help explain why the animals and plants grew larger during the Jurassic age. Plants also rely on carbon dioxide (CO2) for their growth processes. The Jurassic studies indicated ten times as much CO2 at almost double the atmospheric pressure. The plants would have also absorbed more carbon dioxide, which through photosynthesis produced more sugar solution for the roots, thus stimulating faster plant growth. I think this research has potential long-term benefits for mankind. I hope more scientists get involved with the necessary funding to carry on.

Does any increase in barometric pressure have any effect on gravity? treat your answer as if we are dealing in a sealed room with all other things being equal.

The reason why i asked this was during my research i found estimates that the barometric pressure about 200-400 million years ago was about 3 times what it is today, while oxygen levels were at 35% (currently 21%). Of course there were major changes to oxygen levels during the 5 episodes of an asteroid hitting the earth and killing countless species.

i could have sworn that half of what F_alk said came directly from Stephen Hawkings’s “A Brief History of Time”

@Imperious:

Does any increase in barometric pressure have any effect on gravity? treat your answer as if we are dealing in a sealed room with all other things being equal.

The reason why i asked this was during my research i found estimates that the barometric pressure about 200-400 million years ago was about 3 times what it is today, while oxygen levels were at 35% (currently 21%). Of course there were major changes to oxygen levels during the 5 episodes of an asteroid hitting the earth and killing countless species.

I honestly do not believe that barometric pressure has an effect on gravity per se.  Regardless of the barometric pressure of the Earth, moon, Saturn, Sun, etc. they will interact with each other based on their masses. 
Now the relative effects on objects by an increased barometric pressure might have the effect of an increase in gravity as even air has mass, and an increase in barometric pressure would cause an increase in the mass of all air surrounding us - as the vast majority is above, it would have a crushing effect.  Consider diving underwater.  You have increased your surrounding “barometric pressure”.  The reason your ears hurt is because this pressures your tympanic membranes inwards and the pain from the stretch receptors can only be mitigated by rising nearer the surface, or by equalizing the pressure by forcing air through your eustacian tubes by blowing against pursed lips and sealed nares. 
Does this make any sense?  F_alk?

Considering the atmosphere effectively ends about 100 miles above the earth (which is about 7,000) miles in diameter, and considering most gases condense to hundreths of their previous volume when frozen/solidified; even an atmosphere 10X denser than todays should produce an insiginificant change in gravity.  Also, this thicker atmosphere (if it actually existed) is probably still locked inside the earth in some form or other.

As far as physiological changes, I would suspect you should see more streamlining (as in marine animals) since a denser atmosphere would make movement more difficult due to air resistance and make the effects of wind storms more severe.  Smaller lungs might be a possibility due to an easier transfer of oxygen/CO2 due to the higher pressure.  The effects on the tympanic membranes should be insignificant IMO because once you are stabilized at the higher/lower altitude or pressure all is well.  The problems here are only with rapidly changing pressures.

Smaller lungs might be a possibility due to an easier transfer of oxygen/CO2 due to the higher pressure.

Ok so oxygen transfer of a higher pressured world in LARGE animals is easier, while they have less ability to get air in a lower pressure?

Ok so oxygen transfer of a higher pressured world in LARGE animals is easier, while they have less ability to get air in a lower pressure?

Well, a higher pressure (all else being equal) means there are more oxygen molecules in a given surface area.  Therefore, for a given animal size, the lungs could potentially be smaller proportionally.  It would not necessarily make life for large animals more possible because this might not be the limiting factor with regards to animal size.

The September 95 issue of Discover magazine has an article on the fluctuations in the oxygen levels during the Carboniferous (p. 32).  I don’t recall any literature being cited, but the 35% number was used as a reason for the huge insects of that period.  The theory goes that as the concentration of oxygen increases so does the size of the animal that can be supported by diffusional oxygen transfer (also known as the squared/cubed law). This may help explain why they got so huge. So the question is rather why did they get large and secondly after the Asteroid hits every 150 million years, why dint they simply come back? IT the answer has to explain both land and sea animals, because after all the heat wave from a 100 megaton event would bake the Earth except for things burrowed in the ground or in the deep sea. (e.g. giant crabs and squids)

I am not trying to hyjack this thread, but i dont see a “good” answer for the demise of Dinasours only explained by Asteroids, because this event has occured at least 4 other times in earths history, based on geological  records.

I am not debating the reason why the O2 level changed. I am trying to state the reason why the Dinasours died in both land and sea other than saying “a big rock” hit the earth so 100% were killed by that alone… or are their other factors?

1. O2 levels didnt compensate for the ability of larger animals to breath
2. Barometric Pressure and its effects of lungs for large animals.

@F_alk:

i could have sworn that half of what F_alk said came directly from Stephen Hawkings’s “A Brief History of Time”

I don’t hope so. If so, then it didn’t happen on purpose (and i have to change my view on the book, as i didn’t like it that much).

i read the book again last night, well skimmed it is a better term (dont really feel like reading it again, i think we both kind of agree on its quality) while skimming through it i found similarites, but nothing to get my imaginary underwear in a bunch.

i will say i like the topic ,i have always liked gravity, here on earth it is basically the only constant.