How can I explain what the fabric of space and time is to a child?

Answer 1

Geesh, this is an easy one:

SPACE AND GRAVITY:
Tell your child to imagine a big piece of rubber stretched out tight. Then tell him to imagine a bowling ball placed on that rubber surface. See how the ball causes a dent in the rubber? That is how objects with mass curve space.

Now roll a golfball in a circle around the bowling ball. See how the golfball falls inward toward the more massive object? That is how gravity works.

TIME:
Tell him that time is like a recipe box. Each card in the box has a different recipe for a given moment in time.

If you are on a card (living in a moment), all the other cards seem to be before or after you (past and future); however, if you were "outside the box" looking down, you could choose the cards in any order you wished - to you they would not be in any "order" but simple a collection of "recipes".

Time only seems to us to have a "before and after" because we are "in" time (in the box).

It is a matter of perspective. One could say that God is eternal because he is "outside" the recipe box.

Answer 2

It depends on how old the child is, really. When you go to explain such an enormous notion to a child, speak at that child's age level and ask questions to see if what you are saying is being understood.

For example, if my 4-year-old asked me this, I'd spread a clean blanket out on the floor, and ask her to join me nearby it. Then, I'd take little candies and have her help me place the 'stars in the sky.' I'd put some Oreos to depict some of the planets in our solar system, and maybe a Nilla wafer to act as our sun. I probably wouldn't complicate the galaxy further.

We would then talk about how far away the 'stars' appear to be, when compared with our Oreo. I would eat a star (a Skittle), and tell her that our Oreo can still see it blinking because the light has to travel all that distance to be seen on our Oreo. I'd ask her if that means that star is putting off light.

Under age 4, I'd probably say, "I don't know," because I think the whole thing would just confuse the kid. My four-year-old understands time as it relates to our daily schedule, so I think she could grasp the above exercise in some way, and it might be fun for us to try. At her age, however, I'd struggle with the decision whether or not to ask her what the blanket is, if the stars are Skittles, the planets Oreos and the sun a Nilla wafer. I'd omit the asteroids, black holes, nebulas, quasars, comets and matter (etc.) unless she expressly asked about these concepts.

Although my nine-year-old might also enjoy that exercise (much more in depth, of course), with her I would go online to look it up because I want her to develop her research skills. There are a lot of resources out there for kids to learn about astromony that would be useful for this lesson. I'll include a few examples.

I hope this helps.

Answer 3

First of all, it is a very difficult task because in order to understand the fabric of space and time one needs to understand a large number of other concepts of physics and I don't think the idea is easy for a child to grasp. However, if you must explain it, use common household items such as a bedsheet, a ball, etc, as examples instead of talking about galaxies, 4 dimensional space and all that.

Answer 4

Really, the fabric of space and time is such a complex idea that it is impossible for even adults to completely understand. To help explain the basics to a child, the simplest way I can think of to explain it would be to explain that everything in the universe that exists, and everything that is happening there is all connected in one large blanket. And all of history and all of the future is in this blanket.

Answer 5

You have just put your finger on the main question of Einstein's Relativity. Current thinking is that there is no "fabric" of space or time. Space looks like time and the same time looks like a different amount of space when viewed from a different perspective.
The very question brings with it a few assumptions (Do not feel bad, Sir Isaac Newton made the same assumptions).
It is like asking "What kind of chalk is the chalk-board made of?", when the chalkboard is not made out of chalk and the chalkboard does not have to follow the same rules that govern the chalk. It still follows rules which we can infer and deduce just like we can determine a lot about a chalkboard from what is written on it. That is what modern physics is all about. One still needs a handle on classical physics and classical mathematics (which are still useful) to understand it properly, and it is a fascinating, powerful, often counter-intuitive and worthwhile study.

Answer 6

Go ahead and dive in - start early! My parents did, with explaining atoms and their components and the nature of space and star formation (my dad's works in aerospace :) ). I think the trick is explaining it again and again. That's what my mom and dad did, so that even though I didn't understand any of it very well at first, it was all there for me, from the very beginning, so that learning was about making connections and filling in the gaps instead of learning from scratch. I'm so grateful to my parents for doing that! I think it gave me a big advantage for learning later on. Good luck with your child!

Answer 7

I tried this with one of my grandchildren --

With a string I suspended two tennis balls about five feet apart from the cross bar on her swing set. Then I asked her what was between the two balls. She said nothing is between them, and I explained that's what we call space. Next I asked her to imagine a butterfly that wanted to fly from one ball to the other. I explained that it would take some time to fly across the space between the balls. Finally I pointed out that we could put the two together--space and time--and call them space-time.

Answer 8

You do not need too!
A childs mind is not like ours...they will accept, it...as long as there is some kind of common sense answer.

As the child gets older, it will be more able to understand.


You say space is outside the earth...and where the child can see stars.
Time is easy...keep it simple...remember...we just say 12 hours of day light...and then the earth sleeps 12 hrs.
........good luck.

Answer 9

Ramtha the Enlightened One, Lord of the Wind, lived once as a human being 35,000 years ago in the long-gone continent of Lemuria. He explains that in that lifetime he addressed the great questions about human existence and the meaning of life.

Through his own observation and contemplation he discovered in his life a way to transcend the constraints of time and space and the limitations of the physical body. He realized a way in which to take his body with him to a level of mind that allowed him to manipulate space and time and yet remain fully conscious.

When he decided to finally leave this world he ascended in front of his people, which numbered two million, promising them he would return.

Remnants of his life and teachings exist in various archaeological artifacts from India and Egypt, as well as ancient Hindu literature.

Answer 10

I dont think you can. Its hard enough to explain what the fabric of the carpet is to some children.