2006-07-28 15:56:51 · 8 answers · asked by savvy s 2 in Science & Mathematics ➔ Astronomy & Space
you are considering space and not space-time
so,the cuvature is well defined like this .. if u consider a ball in a water which is submerged partially then according to the ball the water around it is a hollow sphere
so .. placing balls which are submerged partially in water tub is same as stars or planets in space
2006-07-28 20:57:43 · answer #1 · answered by Prakash 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
If you look at it that the gravitational force varies as the square of the distance from the centre of the object, then you can say that a sphere around the massive object has the same gravitational potential. As it varies as the square, the space is warped on a parabola.
A good analogy from "The Elegant Universe" is to imagine that in any given plane that space is like a stretched rubber sheet. If you were to put a bowling ball on this (in gravity), it would deform the sheet in much the same way that massive objects deform space. If you were to roll a marble along the sheet, it would travel a curved path around the object, as would a comet or photon around a star or planet...
If you are really curious about these things, I would recommend the books by Hawking as well as "The Elegant Universe" by Brian Greene.
2006-07-28 23:32:41 · answer #2 · answered by TRE 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
not really... im assuming you're talking about space/time and not about space itself.... if you can imagine that space and time is a plane, anything with mass bends this plane causing a dip stretching it out... the large the mass, the larger the dip. It not spherical since the spherical space is a object in the 3rd dimension not the 4th. The curvature of space and time around an object is basically a representation of gravity but its much more complex than that
2006-07-28 23:02:32 · answer #3 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Essentially, as light passes by a mass in space, such as a massive star, the gravity 'warping' of space causes it to tend to follow a parabolic curve with the mass as the focus of the curve.
2006-07-29 08:38:04 · answer #4 · answered by Jay T 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
No, space has no shape, its like asking if the ocean is curved around a pebble.
2006-07-28 23:03:21 · answer #5 · answered by nightfall7979 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
not really! A good analogy would be like saying that a tube is like a circle, only longer. (Play with that in your head for a while!)
Allan W Janssen
2006-07-28 23:16:29 · answer #6 · answered by Moses 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
it is probably the curvature of space-TIME that your are referring to...
2006-07-28 23:20:26 · answer #7 · answered by wini_da_cutie 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
It is a vast open area, no beginning and no end.
VR
2006-07-28 23:09:43 · answer #8 · answered by sarayu 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋