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Edited version.

If an electrical charge like a lightning bolt seeks ground (think of a lightning's rod's purpose), and if all matter is seeking ground (gravitational pull), and if all energy and all matter are various forms of vibration (electromagnetic spectrum), what is the likelihood that all forms of energy are directly or at least indirectly also seeking ground?

I'm just looking for an energy's basic common behaviors with other energy (and matter) Specifically I'm thinking of mechanical (vibrational) energy once it attaches itself to an object.

Thanks,

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    $\begingroup$ This doesn't really make sense to me. $\endgroup$
    – Kyle Kanos
    Commented Aug 21, 2015 at 13:11

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No.
The question is based on a false assumption.
Nothing "seeks ground" in the sense the expression implies.

Current flows in an electrical circuit. If part of the circuit is connected to "ground" then current will flow into or out of ground as part of flowing in the circuit as a whole. If you look at the "circuit diagrams" of electric circuits, in many cases the connection between two points in the circuit, which are usually made by use of a wire could instead by passing the current through "ground". Passing current into And out of ground involves a degree of electrical "resistance" to current flow - but this resistance can be relatively low if enough effort, material and money is expended.
This effect is used to produce "SWER" (single wire earth return) power systems which use a two "conductor" circuit with one conductor being a wire and the other wire is "ground". These circuits have enough technical problems that they are not used in most applications but are still in use in many countries to provide power feed to small remote loads in rural areas.

Wikipedia Single Wire Earth Return powerlines

SWER circuit using ground as one conductor of the two conductor power circuit

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Many SWER examples

Example of electricity NOT seeking ground:

In the diagram below which is figure 8 on this page the secondary circuit is isolated from ground - with energy being transferred from input to output by the isolating transformer's magnetic field - and the person shown does not experience electric shock.

enter image description here

SWER line:

One aerial wire feeds a pole mounted transformer. A ground wire runs from the transformer, down the pole to a suitable "earth connection"

enter image description here

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Matter does not "seek ground" in the sense generally intended by the expression.
If the term "seeks" is used to refer to "gravitational attraction" then all matter seeks all other matter - with a force proportional to the product of their masses and the inverse square of their distance $d$ apart. i.e. $$F= \frac{k m_1 m_2}{d^2}$$
Where $k$ is a constant used to provide the correct magnitude result in the units system used.

In the case of e.g. a thrown rock and our planet - the rock seeks the planet AND the planet seeks the rock. BOTH move towards each other. However, as both experience the same force and as acceleration is proportional to the inverse of mass, the planet does not move "very much at all" before the rock reaches it. If you place two identical rocks (spherical and symmetrical to avoid complications) in space a long way away from any other mass and both stationary relative to some frame of reference then both will seek each other equally, both will accelerate towards the other with equal acceleration and the velocity of each relative to the frame of reference will be equal and opposite. This applies regardless of whether the "rocks' are say 1 kg in mass or say 1,000,000 kg in mass, or planet sized (ignoring aspects such as strength of materials which will cause disintegration at planet scales as they come within a certain distance (known as the Roche limit). In the case of planet sized rocks both could be considered to be "ground" and both would equally "seek" each other.


Note that mechanical vibration and electromagnetic energy are not equivalent and that the reconciliation of gravity and electromagnetic force eluded Einstein and everyone else since.

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  • $\begingroup$ Quality answer. $\endgroup$ Commented Aug 21, 2015 at 12:40
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In physics "principles" are statements that can be derived from the basic laws . Basic_laws/postulates in physics are like axioms in mathematics, they tie up observations to the mathematical model, and one cannot ask "why" since the only answer is "because this is/fits what we observe".

Your statement is partially reflected in this principle:

The minimum total potential energy principle is a fundamental concept used in physics, chemistry, biology, and engineering. It asserts that a structure or body shall deform or displace to a position that minimizes the total potential energy, with the lost potential energy being dissipated as heat. For example, a marble placed in a bowl will move to the bottom and rest there, and similarly, a tree branch laden with snow will bend to a lower position. The lower position is the position for minimum potential energy: it is the stable configuration for equilibrium. The principle has many applications in structural analysis and solid mechanics.

So physical systems tend/end_up at the smallest potential energy.

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  • $\begingroup$ Why didn't you get any vote? I think your answer really answers OP's quo; for my part, I'll give you +1. $\endgroup$
    – user36790
    Commented Aug 22, 2015 at 4:19
  • $\begingroup$ Thanks for your response. My question originates from my experience of mechanical energy seeking ground when it becomes attached to a physical object. Hence, when I think about a lightning rod's function and all physical matter heading toward ground, it makes me wonder about other energies, since in the end, it's my understanding everything is a form of vibration. $\endgroup$ Commented Aug 22, 2015 at 7:39

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