When an object has mass How does it affect the fabric of spacetime around it?

Large objects such as the Sun and planets aren’t the only masses that warp the fabric of space-time. Anything with mass—including your body—bends this four-dimensional cosmic grid. The warp, in turn, creates the effect of gravity, redirecting the path of objects that travel into it.

What effect does mass have on spacetime?

Gravitational time dilation occurs because objects with a lot of mass create a strong gravitational field. The gravitational field is really a curving of space and time. The stronger the gravity, the more spacetime curves, and the slower time itself proceeds.

What does spacetime tells matter how do you move matter tells spacetime how do you curve mean?

Einstein’s general theory of relativity can be summed up in just 12 words: “Space-time tells matter how to move; matter tells space-time how to curve”. But this short description from the physicist John Wheeler hides a more complex and profound truth. Special relativity tells us motion warps space and time.

What does it mean to say space is curved?

Curved space often refers to a spatial geometry which is not “flat”, where a flat space is described by Euclidean geometry. Curved spaces can generally be described by Riemannian geometry though some simple cases can be described in other ways.

Why do falling objects speed up?

When objects fall to the ground, gravity causes them to accelerate. Gravity causes an object to fall toward the ground at a faster and faster velocity the longer the object falls. In fact, its velocity increases by 9.8 m/s2, so by 1 second after an object starts falling, its velocity is 9.8 m/s.

Why does gravity make things fall?

In simple terms, all objects have mass and gravity is a force of attraction between objects with mass. The bigger the mass of an object, the stronger the force of attraction. Because the Earth is the most massive object then it’s gravitational pull wins and so an object is attracted to the Earth and so falls.

Is space really curved?

Space is indeed curved — in four dimensions. Many people think the fourth dimension is simply time, and for some astronomical equations, it is. Einstein used time as a fourth dimension to describe a coordinate system called space-time.

How does mass affect the shape of spacetime?

Mass/energy curves spacetime and a body follows this curvature so gravity is basically the geometry of spacetime. If there is no force of gravity why does a mass move at all along the curvature of spacetime and what determines which way it will move. E.G.

Is gravity actually curved space?

If gravity is actually curved space and if falling objects are simply following the natural curves of space why does each object have its own curve? This is a great question which goes to the heart of why Einstein said gravity is the curvature of space-time, rather than just the curvature of space.

How does matter move in curved space?

Matter tells space how to curve, and curved space tells matter how to move. That’s the basic principle behind Einstein’s General Relativity, which linked, for the first time, the phenomenon of gravity with that of spacetime and relativity. Place a mass down anywhere in the Universe, and the space around it will curve in response.

What determines the curvature of spacetime around a massive object?

The spacetime curvature around any massive object is determined by the combination of mass and distance from the center-of-mass.