@article{discovery1430257,
           month = {October},
          volume = {23},
       publisher = {Submitted to International Journal of Modern Physics D},
            note = {This essay received a honorable mention in the 2014 essay competition of the Gravity Research Foundation. - This version is the author accepted manuscript. For information on re-use, please refer to the publisher's terms and conditions.},
         journal = {International Journal of Modern Physics D},
          number = {12},
           title = {From continuum mechanics to general relativity},
            year = {2014},
            issn = {0218-2718},
        keywords = {General relativity; continuum mechanics; space-time symmetries},
          author = {Boehmer, CG and Downes, RJ},
        abstract = {Using ideas from continuum mechanics we construct a theory of gravity. We show that this theory is equivalent to Einstein's theory of general relativity; it is also a much faster way of reaching general relativity than the conventional route. Our approach is simple and natural: we form a very general model and then apply two physical assumptions supported by experimental evidence. This easily reduces our construction to a model equivalent to general relativity. Finally, we suggest a simple way of modifying our theory to investigate nonstandard spacetime symmetries.},
             url = {http://dx.doi.org/10.1142/S0218271814420152}
}