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Gravity in Terms of Space-Time
Cool vid exploring how gravity works in terms of the 4th dimension: space-time fabric of space. Enjoy
Dec 4, 2007 7:02 PM
Re: Gravity in Terms of Space-Time
Does not explain how space and time are 1, plz explain or reference to explaination
By: cheezsteak
Re: Gravity in Terms of Space-Time
I dislike this theory mainly because I find it hard to believe that time can be bent. It seems that time is an objective being through which all space and matter travels. I just don't see space and time being woven together and gravity affect time. It seems hard to believe, but I'm not one to say I'm smarter than Einstein.
By: Wonderr
Re: Gravity in Terms of Space-Time
#1 Einstein did not come up with the conception of space-time. Minkowski did. Einstein at first did not agree with it, but later on it became the cornerstone of General Relativity.
#2 No, it's not that time is "bent." Spacetime is curved, and space and time are not able to be separated since they are the same thing.
#3 Gravity "affects" spacetime because a gravitational field IS a deformation of spacetime.
#4 You cannot argue about physics unless you understand it in a rigorous, mathematical theoretical framework. The concepts of Relativity aren't as vague and metaphysical as you are making them to seem.
And for your information, General Relativity has predictive power- that is people can make predictions about how they would expect things to act from Relativity, do experiments, and see exactly the behavior that Relativity predicted. GPS satellites require Relativistic corrections. Measurable deviations of Mercury's motion from that predicted by Newtonian Mechanics are explainable in General Relativity. General Relativity predicts gravitational lensing effects which have been observed.
I could go on, but I think that's sufficient.
#2 No, it's not that time is "bent." Spacetime is curved, and space and time are not able to be separated since they are the same thing.
#3 Gravity "affects" spacetime because a gravitational field IS a deformation of spacetime.
#4 You cannot argue about physics unless you understand it in a rigorous, mathematical theoretical framework. The concepts of Relativity aren't as vague and metaphysical as you are making them to seem.
And for your information, General Relativity has predictive power- that is people can make predictions about how they would expect things to act from Relativity, do experiments, and see exactly the behavior that Relativity predicted. GPS satellites require Relativistic corrections. Measurable deviations of Mercury's motion from that predicted by Newtonian Mechanics are explainable in General Relativity. General Relativity predicts gravitational lensing effects which have been observed.
I could go on, but I think that's sufficient.
By: Deh_Dude
Re: Gravity in Terms of Space-Time
Actually, Einstein did introduce the special theory of relativity in 1905 through his paper "On the Electrodynamics of Moving Bodies".
In 1907, Minkowski came up with 4th dimensional thinking to help understand Einstien's theory. He presented his theory (afterwards known as Minkowski space) in a speech to his colleagues in 1908 where he took Einstein's theory and presented it in a more easily understood way, using four dimensional space...or taking the 3 ordinary dimensions and combining(some say overlaying) them with another dimension to create a 4th dimension representative of space-time.
In 1907, Minkowski came up with 4th dimensional thinking to help understand Einstien's theory. He presented his theory (afterwards known as Minkowski space) in a speech to his colleagues in 1908 where he took Einstein's theory and presented it in a more easily understood way, using four dimensional space...or taking the 3 ordinary dimensions and combining(some say overlaying) them with another dimension to create a 4th dimension representative of space-time.
By: lyzard
Re: Gravity in Terms of Space-Time
Most of the concepts used in relativity (and quantum mechanics also) are very counter-intuitive to the extreme, that is, the opposite of what we experience in our daily lives, so we categorize them as 'abstractions'.
Sticking to relativity here, a time portal has never appeared in front of a human as he/she's walking down the road or street, this is more about humongous objects that have three or more masses than our sun. What's being described doesn't even happen within our own solar system, or even in the vicinity.
The beauty of this is that we, as humans, are able to understand these concepts, even as only a handful of us may have the gifts and willingness to figure them out.
The macrostructure of the universe is unthinkably larger than us, but check it out, we sentient beings may be much smaller, yet we also are unthinkably more complex.
Sticking to relativity here, a time portal has never appeared in front of a human as he/she's walking down the road or street, this is more about humongous objects that have three or more masses than our sun. What's being described doesn't even happen within our own solar system, or even in the vicinity.
The beauty of this is that we, as humans, are able to understand these concepts, even as only a handful of us may have the gifts and willingness to figure them out.
The macrostructure of the universe is unthinkably larger than us, but check it out, we sentient beings may be much smaller, yet we also are unthinkably more complex.
By: niktemadur
