Quasilocal Conservation Laws: Why We Need Them

We argue that conservation laws based on the local matter-only stress-energy-momentum tensor (characterized by energy and momentum per unit volume) cannot adequately explain a wide variety of even very simple physical phenomena because they fail to properly account for gravitational effects. We construct a general quasi}local conservation law based on the Brown and York total (matter plus gravity) stress-energy-momentum tensor (characterized by energy and momentum per unit area), and argue that it does properly account for gravitational effects. As a simple example of the explanatory power of this quasilocal approach, consider that, when we accelerate toward a freely-floating massive object, the kinetic energy of that object increases (relative to our frame). But how, exactly, does the object acquire this increasing kinetic energy? Using the energy form of our quasilocal conservation law, we can see precisely the actual mechanism by which the kinetic energy increases: It is due to a bona fide gravitational energy flux that is exactly analogous to the electromagnetic Poynting flux, and involves the general relativistic effect of frame dragging caused by the object's motion relative to us.Comment: 20 pages, 1 figur

Geoids in General Relativity: Geoid Quasilocal Frames

We develop, in the context of general relativity, the notion of a geoid -- a surface of constant "gravitational potential". In particular, we show how this idea naturally emerges as a specific choice of a previously proposed, more general and operationally useful construction called a quasilocal frame -- that is, a choice of a two-parameter family of timelike worldlines comprising the worldtube boundary of the history of a finite spatial volume. We study the geometric properties of these geoid quasilocal frames, and construct solutions for them in some simple spacetimes. We then compare these results -- focusing on the computationally tractable scenario of a non-rotating body with a quadrupole perturbation -- against their counterparts in Newtonian gravity (the setting for current applications of the geoid), and we compute general-relativistic corrections to some measurable geometric quantities.Comment: 24 pages, 8 figures; v2: reference added; v3: introduction clarified, reference adde

ATTITUDES AND HOUSEHOLD CHARACTERISTICS INFLUENCING SOLID WASTE GENERATION: A HOUSEHOLD GARBAGE ANALYSIS

A survey of household decision-makers and an analysis of their garbage was used to suggest factors affecting the weight of household contributions to municipal solid waste. Iterative regression was used to build a model from the data that is hypothesized to explain garbage weight. Food expenditure, environmental attitude, consumption of soft drinks in plastic bottles, and cats in the household were significant for all households. Self-sufficiency and energy-conscious behavioral scales also affected the subgroup with female householders having an educational level of high school graduation or less.Environmental Economics and Policy,