how does gravity work exactly?

Question

i mean how does a massive object creat a pulling force? Im talking on the atomic level. is it energy, particles or what?

Answer 1

current thought in physics explains gravity as a "warping" or curvature in space ( and time ).

this warping/ curvature is perceived by us as a "tendency" of moving objects to change their paths to follow this curvature.

in other words, gravity is not really a force but simply the natural path an object ( even light ) takes when traveling thru curved space ( not perceivable directly ).

all masses warp space. this manifests as perceived gravity.

to answer your deep question, gravity is not energy or particles but rather an inherent property of the space and time around an object with mass. it appears only as an illusory force and this is why it took so long for a genius like Newton to discover it and an even more brilliant Einstein to describe it as above.

hope your question was answered painlessly !

:)

Answer 2

The simple answer is that it works very well indeed.

Much beyond that, we don't really have a clue. We know that it's a property of mass that attracts all other mass, but that's about it.

We know (that is, we can calculate) how much force two masses will exert on each other, but we have no idea exactly *how* they do it.

The idea that mass (and gravity) cause spacetime to 'curve' certainly seems to make sense and that curvature has even been measured (by measuring the apparent 'bending' of the light from a distant star around the Sun). But it may also be that small 'curvatures' in spacetime are what cause mass to exist. We don't know.

We don't even know if gravity is a field (like magnetism or the electric field around a charge) or if it's a particle (some sort of intermediary boson such as a photon).

Fact is, we're generally pretty ignorant ☺


Doug

Answer 3

Gravity changes the shape of space. The classic way to present it is to think of a rubber sheet. If you put a rock on the sheet, it will bend the sheet downward, creating a depression. If an ant is walking across the sheet, it will experience the sheet as still being flat, but its course will be affected by the change.

There's a good diagram at http://theory.uwinnipeg.ca/users/gabor/black_holes/slide5.html
and this one has an animation, although the graphic is smaller http://www.astronomy.pomona.edu/Projects/moderncosmo/alex's%20page%201.html .

If the Sun were on such a rubber sheet, it would create a depression. The Earth is partway down the depression. To the Earth, it doesn't feel like a curve; it feels like it is traveling in a straight line.

Gravitational attraction is thought to be managed by a massless particle called a graviton. Just as the exchange of photons creates a magnetic field and the exchange of gluons creates a strong nuclear field, the exchange of gravitons creates gravitational fields. The graviton would have to be massless and have a spin of 2, which is unique in the study of quantum particles.

In the early-to-mid 1980's there was a proposal to build a device to measure gravitons. If I remember correctly, it consisted of two concrete tubes at a right angle. The problem is that in order to detect a graviton, there'd have to be some serious ripple in the standard gravitational field background. Not much would cause that. We're pretty much talking about a supernova near enough to make a measurable change in the gravitational field background without being near enough to destroy life as we know it in a shower of high energy particles. Fortunately, those stars that might go supernova in the near future are probably in the direction of the center of the galaxy. Personally, I'm voting for Betelgeuse, despite it's threat to destroy the symmery of the constellation Orion.

Answer 4

Gravity dosen't "work" it just exists. Gravity is a FORCE not unlike magnatism. It is more or less an observation rather than an explainable thing. When something is huge like the sun or the earth, things nearby are naturally drawn toward the middle of it, while things that are already in motion and at a certain distance away are just affected by the mass of the object. we call it gravity, but nothing is actually there like graviton particles or anything making the attraction happen.

Answer 5

The real answer is 'we don't entirely know'. Scientists are not sure what carries the force (a gravitational wave or a graviton particle), and why it happens.

It seems to be the least understood force; its extremely weak (the other 3 fundamental forces are incredibly powerful compared to gravity), it is always positive or zero (gravity never repels), and its effect drives the motion of the universe (miniscule on a small scale, but overpowering on a large scale).

Answer 6

braxton_paul and iandanielx are right, not known but fairly predictable.

Just to add a point of conjecture it seems to be the weakest force but there is another thought, plausible or not? The 3 other forces seem to be much stronger however for this idea think of our existence as a plane and they act through the entire surface of our plane. Now think of gravity on an entirely different plane intersecting ours. It’s relative force in our plane would be a line where the other forces have an entire planes worth of force. Gravity may be just as strong or stronger, or it could be all bunk but it’s fun to think about, no?

Answer 7

Physics
The natural force of attraction exerted by a celestial body, such as Earth, upon objects at or near its surface, tending to draw them toward the center of the body.
The natural force of attraction between any two massive bodies, which is directly proportional to the product of their masses and inversely proportional to the square of the distance between them.
Gravitation.
Grave consequence; seriousness or importance: They are still quite unaware of the gravity of their problems.
Solemnity or dignity of manner.

Answer 8

issues with mass are in touch in different issues with mass. The confusing area is that even as the different forces have an linked particle, the provider particle for gravity has no longer been observed. To be appropriate, it truly is a secret. If or perhaps as someone solutions this, they are going to be up for a Nobel prize, no longer prattling on about it right here.

Answer 9

No matter how good writer I am, whatever I'll say it will still be theory.

The best way is to experiment. and to have "first hand" the experience.

Get on a table (or higher, even better). and give a jump. You will feel the Earth's "pulling force". Repeat the procedure until you have a good dose of "feeling".

Don't overdo though, because you may be hurt...:)
GOOD LUCK

Answer 10

Science knows what gravity does and what causes it, but the actual mechanism is NOT understood. This is because, at the deepest level, science can't explain many characteristics of mass. Inertia is one such mystery. We know what it does and can make accurate predictions about it, but exactly how it works we don't truly know.