Is space-time fabric being shaped by the mass or isit really spac-time that shapes the mass?

Question

Isnt there Something that has to keep a mass into a lump together?

Gravity is liken unto a Hen that tries to keep her chicks together?

Answer 1

Is the mass that bends the space time according to Einstein, mass generates a gravity field that bends it, distorting both space and time in the vicinity of large mass objects, this is due to the interaction of the 4 basic forces in the universe:
the strong force that keeps the atoms nuclei together, the weak force: that binds the electron to the atom. The electromagnetic force: which is the emission of energy when electron change orbits, and binds atoms together, and the gravity force, the weakest one, which is a compendium if you wanna put it like this, of the other three acting together. These four forces keep what we call "matter" together, or as you say into a "lump". Scientist agree that in space there is no such thing as absolute vacuum but a quantum "foam", composed of antimatter, now. how this works is even more complicated but suffice it to say that antimatter is the effect of quantum laws in space time, in the sense of when there is an electron or any matter existing, there exists in the fabric of space time all the possible states of reality superimpossed, that is why matter can be destroyed and matter can come into existence supposedly out of nothing, this is called the "Dirac" sea, after the french scientist who postulated it.
This is a very complex subject, but if I could be oversimplistic in the answer, this would be: The matter affects the space time fabric. plain and doesn't explain much, does it?

Bye.

Answer 2

Gravity is an intrinsic property of matter. Matter collects into volumes large enough to begin to modify, or shape, the spacetime manifold. But the relationship works both ways, and the gradient in spacetime does tend to grow with added mass, attracting more matter, which increases the S-T distortion, which...

Fun, huh? That's the problem with not knowing exactly how gravity works. Once we have a proper understanding of gravity, we might get a definitive answer. Or the question might not be phrased 'correctly' to get Nature's answer.

Answer 3

It depends on what you mean. In large scale solids, the atoms are so tightly packed they cannot move past each other.

If you mean molecules, chemical bonds hold them together (because of electric forces).

If you mean atoms, something called the "nuclear strong force" holds those together, through what we call "gluons." Gluons also hold together particles like protons. Protons are actually 3 quarks held together by gluons. Something about the gluons "tells" the particles to come together, just like how gravity "tells" particles to move towards each other.

Answer 4

Hmmm...
I would say it is the mass that shapes space since it is not the stone that was cast by you into the lake has generated a wave? Or did the wave in the water has generated the stone that was cast of by the lake into your hand? The last seems highly unlikely. :)

Answer 5

There are clearly forces in existence that we do not know of - there are scientific hints towards some of these but not enough to draw conclusions - except to guess at what these may be - so your question cannot actually be answered except by a guess.