: : : True, but it is not the force of the gravity acting directly on the string that breaks it. It is the added mass you tied to the string. Think of it like this: Hang the string over a mass. Now how big does the mass have to get to break the string using ONLY gravity?

: : : : Probably pretty big... but i bet it's possible... what about pudding? you try and pick up pudding and it falls apart due only to gravity....

: Jimmy, you are drifting off the main point I was trying to make. I contend that gravity,in and of itself, can not crush a particle, or rip a particle apart. To crush a particle of mass, that particle must first be trapped between the primary mass and another mass. Then and only then will gravity crush it. To rip a given particle apart there must be something other then the particle trying to hold it back. Pudding is lots of seperate particles, and you are trying to hold it back.

Please correct me if i'm wrong guys. Didn't we send up a satellite up a year ago that is to orbit at a distance between the Earth and sun so that it doesn't have to spend a lot fuel maintaining its orbit. The gravitational pull of the Earth and the sun will cancel each other out.? So, as for the ball i guess i will have to take Wayne's position.