What about gravity? isnt gravity instantaneus? Knowing that gravity and mass are directly proportional, if the sun suddenly dissappeared, would the force of gravity continue to hold us in place until the last of the suns light reached earth? I find that impossible, because without mass, there IS NO GRAVITY.
Help me out on this one.
2007-02-05 17:13:37 · 3 answers · asked by rete_stradale 1 in Science & Mathematics ➔ Physics
And the answer is.... No! Gravity would not disappear instantaneously. Gravity, like the other three forces (electric, weak and strong), is transmitted by virtual particles. These particles are massless and travel at the speed of light. If the Sun were to blink out of existence, the Earth wouldn't notice in light or gravitational pull for 8.5 minutes, the time it takes light to get from the Sun to the Earth.
There is no mass once the Sun disappears in such a scenario, but information takes time to transmit from one place to another. The time it takes is equal to the distance between the source and detection bodies divided by the speed of light.
2007-02-05 17:25:18 · answer #1 · answered by Dude 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Very good question.
Scientists still do not have an absolute definition of gravity. It is most commonly believed to be a "field" and as such it would have waves. Some think that gravity is has a fundamental element even smaller than the graviton.
Regardless, some think that id would flow, thereby taking the same time to dissipate, 8 minutes.
2007-02-05 17:21:05 · answer #2 · answered by Scarp 3 · 1⤊ 0⤋
the speed of sunshine is merely truly among the numerous accepted constants in the course of the universe (so some distance as all of us understand). The very really swifter speed of sunshine measured at present for neutrinos is in dispute. undergo in ideas that technological information is a skeptical solution to objective recommendations hostile to really, measurable actuality. with assistance from the way, the initial, very perplexing length change into merely about 0.000298% swifter than the speed of sunshine. So it gained't take uncovering many length blunders to swing that boost up 60 nanoseconds out of a finished of about 2.4 milliseconds (2,four hundred,000 nanoseconds). for instance, a modern earthquake moved the length web site 7 nanoseconds in the route of Cern. yet inspite of the eventual end, i love it when we study something new. -- Regards, John Popelish
2016-11-02 11:08:29 · answer #3 · answered by ? 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋