If space is nothingness, how can a black hole form?

Question

I understand the formation of black holes (star imploding due to lack of hydrogen), but before a hole can appear anywhere, there must be borders, or edges (i.e., space must be composed of a "fabric") around it. How can this be if space is defined as nothingness? Can someone clarify this?

The "nothingness" part of my question is a pure assumption. Yes, stars and planets and other debris exist, but in saying "nothingness" I mean that there is not "top" or "bottom" or "borders" or "edges". Perhaps I'm wrong.

Answer 1

Hi. I hope so. You need a very large amount of mass crammed into a VERY small volume to produce a normal black hole. There is not "nothingness". Space can be though of as having some structure, fabric if you wish, that gets severely distorted near the intense gravity of a black hole. Hope this helps.

Answer 2

Whoa, you sound a bit confused. At the moment there's no indication that all materials are made of the same thing (at least if I can understand what you're saying). For example, protons and electrons combine (are attracted) due to columbic forces not because they're made of the same things. (unless maybe you go into string theory but that's beyond me). I don't think "nothing" is a thing. I don't even know of such a thing could exist in our universe. I have no idea what you're talking about with curved nothingness, space isn't nothingness... However, think of space as a fabric with us, planets, etc on the fabric. Now, to mathematically formulate his theories on relativity, Einstein considered time another inseperable dimension of space. He also described gravity not as a force but as curvatures in this space and time fabric. Because time is wrapped up with space, we can notice dilations in time around these areas of space curvature. Also, we can notice light bending with these curvatures (it's actually how he found evidence for it). Now then, black holes are areas where the gravity (read, curvature of space) is so intense, not even light can escape from it. It's just an extreme warping of this fabric (or sheet) called space-time. I think your main problem is nothingness. It doesn't quite make sense as space is by definition something.

Answer 3

I'm not sure I understand the question, so sorry if I'm way off. but to think of a Black Hole as a hole in something is wrong, as you said a Black Hole is formed when a dying sun collaspses in on it self due to massive gravitational forces, the gravitational forces then become so strong that not even light can escape the gravity and it forms a singularity known as a Black hole. So if you where pulled into a Black hole it isn't like going through a hole, you would simple be crushed. The speculation surrounding Black Holes and them possibley being links between dimensions and other points in space time is just speculation.

Out of interest Space isn't nothingness it's very close to a perfect vacum but "stuff" does fill the void between stellar bodies albeit not alot of stuff in alot of space, but stars emit radiation and there's particles of space dust etc.

Answer 4

Black hole is a rift in the timespace. The word "timespace" is crucial to understanding all of this. The space can be, not really precisely, described as nothingness, but it is still... a space. Now, it is a three-dimensional space, right? And the black hole is distorting three-dimensional space in higher dimensions :)

It is easier to understand, if we imagine space as a two-dimensional surface. If we take a sheet, and hold it in the air, and then put a heavy ball in the middle, it would distort it, in the third dimension. The same goes with objects in the real Universe, matter/energy distorts space in higher dimension. Now, if the object on the sheet is very, very heavy, and quite small, it can tear the sheet. And the hole, in the reality, is the black hole.

Answer 5

"If space is defined as nothingness" is the key phrase. When you start to make your argument based on a false premise, you only have a small statistical chance of reaching a true conclusion. And even if you do reach a true conclusion by randomness there would be no logical connection in your chain of reasoning.

Space is not defined as nothingness. In fact, it's not proper to speak of space at all, but of space-time. In the ordinary course of things, "space" is a close enough approximation of space-time----But a black hole is, by its nature, not in the ordinary course of things.

In discussing a black hole, we're talking about a gravitational potential so intense that it literally "warps" space-time around itself, and pinches itself off in what is actually a universe of its own. Black holes do not "exist" in our universe, if you follow me.

In the immediate neighborhood of the event horizon of a black hole, you have to begin to take the concept of space-time seriously or nothing will make "sense".

Answer 6

a black hole is a vacuum in the nothingness

Answer 7

GOOD ?