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Question

According to Newton, gravity is an instantaneous force acting on an object. As such if the sun was to vaporise completely, Earth should move out of her orbit immediately. However Einstein has work out that nothing can surpass the speed of light. Since light takes approximately 8 mins to travel from the sun to the earth, how can it be possible that Earth can move out of her orbit immediately the sun vaporise? Is Newton concept of gravity questionable?

Answer 1

Light is a physical quantity, defined as packets of energy moving at a velocity of 3 * 10 ^ 8 meters per second. Gravity, however, is found as a fourth dimensional property in that space and time need to be taken into account to model gravity.

Newton found the concept of the Earth instantaneously loosing orbit to be worrying as according to his equations, every single body in the universe attracts every other body. According to his equations, the loss of a planet at one end of the universe will affect another at the other end and immediately. This is seemingly a propagation of energy or "information" at an infinite speed.

Einstein's Theory of General Relativity states that gravity can needs to be modeled in terms of space and time. An easy way to think of this is to imagine our sun as a bowling ball and space as a plastic sheet. As the bowling ball sits on the sheet, it distorts the space and time surrounding itself and any other bodies within this curvature are affected too.

Now, this model is good for such a situation. Removing the bowling ball as quickly as possible leads to the plastic flexing and eventually returning to normal, however this takes some time. In fact, if this is closely observed, it should be possible to see waves along the plastic as the sheet returns to its normal position.

In real life, these waves are called gravitational waves and they move along the surface of space and time. As these are waves, they are limited by the same limit as light and hence can only travel at the speed of light, not greater.

So in such a situation where the sun disappears instantaneously, we on Earth would not realize until eight minutes after the Suns disappearance. At this point, the light from the sun would disappear and also, the gravity the Earth (and us) would disappear.

Newton's concept of gravity is flawed as any other concept. Although not perfect, they describe the interactions between bodies in terms of equations that give gravity as a force. In fact, Einstein showed that gravity was not a force but curved space and time. We still use Newton today because we exist on a planet where the bodies on it are traveling at less than the speed of light and where gravitational potential is less than the speed of light. In cases where this is not true, we need to turn to Einstein.

Answer 2

First gravity is not a force but an acceleration. It is due to the warping of space by a mass. If you press down on a trampoline you can see that it takes time for the depression to return to its normal position. A sudden loss of the sun would result in a change that would take those 8+ minutes to be felt. Newton understood the mechanics of gravity well enough that Apollo missions to the moon utilized his equations, but he failed to provide a theory as to what it was. So yes, Newton did not have an underlying theory which could hold up.

Answer 3

Of course! Locality principle in Newton teory is violated. If sun vaporized the gravity field show his effect only after 8 minutes because like all fields its velocity is light velocity.It is the obscillation of space time manifold to move field so when sun vaporise the gravitional wave move on Earth.

Answer 4

Newton did his best. Science has evolved and during the evolution more knowledge is collected. There is no need to criticize Newton, He was ahead of his time for that time.
Today we know that gravity is not unique to the Earth. It is also known that on a scale of a Galaxy or a solar system, Gravity consist of three factors. Example: The Sun is a (1) transmitter of radiation in the form of a magnetic field. (2) the Earth is a Receiver, and (3) a slave, (you on Earth). In this example, if you removed any one from the equation there could be no gravity. You can applied this logic to the smallest common denominator. It works within the Quantum and the whole of the Universe. It is the Holy Trinity.
In addition; Mass/weight is not a factor of Gravity
If the Sun is lost in the equation, the Earth would fall within the (gravity) influence of Jupiter. Since the Planet Jupiter does not radiate heat then we will suffer briefly. Speed is not in the equation, change your wording from immediately to spontaneous. The measurement that you give to support your logic measures a variation. Thus the 8 minutes is only a relative number that exist as compared to the norm.
Why question Newton, I question you.

Answer 5

Newton was wrong and his assumption was that light moved instantly also. Einstein displaced Newton's theory but Newton is still a very good approximation at the speeds and masses we see. Einstein showed that gravity would also propagate at the speed of light. If the sun disappered, we wouldn't know for 8 minutes as far as gravity was concerned. Since it seems that others are guessing or expressing incorrect opinions. Here's an article on gravity waves that move at the speed of light. There are many active experiments searching for them right now

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gravitational_radiation

Answer 6

This is a question for logic. If what you have written is true then the earth would not move until the sun's light is expended. That's why I love sunrises, if it's not there I go back to bed and wait.

Answer 7

I think: gravitational wave.

The mechanism according to which come to form the gravitational waves in a point of the space is due to what delay storm is defined: two masses inversely practice between them a strength proportional attraction to the square of their distance: this strength as all of this that it acts in the space, cannot propagate him with great speed of that of the light. The gravitational wave is really the mechanism through which the gravitational field is propagated in the space.

Answer 8

i think gravity takes time but i also think Newton made accurate scientific laws based on Amharic hypotheses and Einstein was just a scientist

Answer 9

look, it is the high gravitational force and temp. within the sun which helped the gases for fission to make itself a big ball of fire...and it is the same gravitational force that makes earth revolve around it..one more reason is that sun is around-sphere...so earth does not fall on it, rather revolves around it...and u said light takes 8 min(approx,)to reach earth from sun....but light has nothing to do with the gravity!!!
as soon as the sun totally vapourises, its gravitational force is vanished...and earth would get out of its orbit although there will be existing gravitational force between the celestial bodies but that gravitational force wont necessarily keep earth in an orbit
it matters not ...that light would get finished or would take 8 min to reach earth...but now the earth is not feeling any force like gravitation or centripetel force that would make it keep revolving

Answer 10

the speed of light and the effects of gravity are two different things. gravity can exist without light.

Therefore if the sun were no longer there, the earth would immediately change orbit. Gravity isn't a physical entity, as light is.