Why does curved space produce acceleration?
The curvature of spacetime (not just space) is responsible for gravity. Literally, near heavy objects, the “future direction” points slightly down. So anything that moves forward in time will find its trajectory pointing down slightly. This takes the form of downward acceleration.
Why does matter and energy curve spacetime?
You could see light being bent due to the presence of a strong gravitational field. Conclusion: Even if light has no rest mass, it has energy and momentum. And it is being attracted due to gravity, so the natural conclusion is that energy do curve space-time.
Does space really curve?
Space is indeed curved — in four dimensions. Einstein used time as a fourth dimension to describe a coordinate system called space-time. This is the stage on which planets, stars, galaxies — all matter in the universe — act their gravitational roles.
What effect does mass have on spacetime quizlet?
What effect does mass have on spacetime? Mass warps spacetime.
What is the effect of mass 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 effect does space have on matter?
Space actually has energy, vacuum energy. It has been shown by various experiments and can be explained by Quantum Mechanics. So more space means more energy. Although it probably can’t be used to do work, it does act to increase expansion.
Why does curved space-time cause gravity?
Q: Why does “curved space-time” cause gravity?: A better answer. Physicist: The original post is here. The curvature of space alone has almost no effect on the movement of objects until they are moving really fast. With the exception of only the most extreme cases (black holes), space is very, very close to flat.
Why does a stationary object not follow the curvature of spacetime?
Only “freely” falling particles follow Spacetime curvature available to them. So, when you see a stationary object not following Spacetime curvature, it’s because an external force is preventing it from going to it’s inertial trajectory… Means, it’s not in “Free Fall”.
How do objects move through space and time?
Even objects “at rest” (in a given reference frame) are actually moving through spacetime, because spacetime is not just space, but also time: apple is “getting older” – moving through time. The “velocity” through spacetime is called a four-velocity and it is always equal to the speed of light.
Is space flat or curved?
With the exception of only the most extreme cases (black holes), space is very, very close to flat. For example, the total stretching of space due to the Earth amounts to less than 1cm. The precession of Mercury’s orbit is another example of the tiny effect of the curvature of space (and it is tiny).