How do you measure curvature of space?

Answer 1

Space is curved around objects and this is what creates gravity.
Objects will fall toward larger objects in close proximity. The denser the object, the more space is curved around it and the greater the gravitational pull. The curvature of space is a product of object's density and can be measured in relation to that density. Black holes are the product of infinite density, where gravity or the spacial curve is so great that nothing can escape or resist being "sucked in" not even light can escape the force of infinite space curvature.

Answer 2

We've now seen how the microwave background can probe the origins of structure in the universe. The microwave background can also help us learn about its fate. Einstein told us that matter curves space. The more matter, the more space is curved.

What does this mean? We'll we're all familiar with one example of curvature -- the curvature of the surface of the earth.

Say my friend and I were in our tropical paradise near the equator. Paradise is boring he says, let's go north. We start out 100 feet apart and walk due north. Euclid told us that so long as we walk in perfectly straight lines, we should never meet, yet we all know that my friend and I will meet at the north pole. In my ignorance, I might say that there is a strange attractive force between my friend and I and label that "gravity". But in truth what happened was the surface of the earth curved beneath us as we walked.
Einstein came to the revelation that the familiar force we call gravity is no more than the curvature of space-time. This curvature is created by matter itself.

We do not yet know if our universe is spatially curved in a global sense. Just like the Columbus, we need someone to navigate a large fraction of the globe to decide its curvature. The distances are so large that we ourselves can't do that, but microwave background photons can.

In practice, the curvature is measured by the size of the spots in the microwave background maps. The larger the curvature the smaller the physical scale of the spots.

We can see this easily by thinking about the globe again.



In a curved space, the light bends as it travels and acts like it is going through a lens. In a (positively) curved universe, a small object appears larger. If we know the actual size of an object, like a spot in the microwave backgroun temperature due to sound waves, the size it appears lensed on the sky tells us the curvature of the universe.

The curvature decides the fate of the universe. What is curving space and lensing light is the matter itself. The more mass the universe has the greater its curvature. If the universe has enough mass, gravitational attraction can halt the expansion and cause the universe to recollapse.

By measuring the curvature of the universe in the size of spots in the microwave background temperature maps, we determine the ultimate fate of the universe.

These are but two examples of the many things the microwave background can tell us about the origin, evolution and fate of the universe.

Answer 3

In fact, nobody is able yet to measure curvature of space directly in the laboratory. It's caused some scientist to call general relativity as "a suspicious theory". Curvature of space can be theoretically considered as the reason of some physical phenomena (for example: bending of the light), but there is no direct reason for the existence of that, because we can not measure it directly. If one suggests a better theory to explain these phenomena, we can almost forget the curvature of the space.

Answer 4

Astronomers will track an object such as a star and precisely map its position and movement. When a planet moves near the star's light path, the star shifts its position.
Now either the star has moved (highly unlikely, to say the least) or the path of the light from the star has "bent" as it traveled past the gravitational field of the planet.
This curvature of space has been measured countless times and the actual observations have once again confirmed the genius of Albert Einstein's general theory.

Answer 5

By the strength of gravity. We perceive curvature of space as gravity. The stronger the gravity the sharper the curvature.

Answer 6

You can measure the anisotropy (lumpiness) in the cosmic microwave background. The apparent size of the "lumps" is indicative of the curvature - so far it looks flat.

Answer 7

Based on curving of light. For example, scientists study the light that gets curved near objects with heavy mass (Example: planets).

Answer 8

I used a large ruler...tricky but my measurements have been accepted by the Royal Astronomical Society...

Answer 9

with a protractor