Am I right in thinking that gravity is caused by the warpage of space time? If so... WHY?

Question

Can anyone explain space or time as entities within themselves? Are they not simply measures of 'how much?' What is the definition of space? What is the definition of time?

Answer 1

The answer to most of your "why" questions is honestly don't know. Science attempts to build theories (or models), generally based on mathematics, which explain our observations and predict more..

The theory that mass "warps" space time matches our observations of gravity and successfuly predicted one or two other more subtle effects. Whether that is what actually happens is another matter. Another theory based on an entirely different concept may yet come along and replace the "warpng space time" theory.

The same goes for the concepts of space and time. They are human constructs which help us to understand and to predict what we observe about the universe. In the current best models, space and time are closely coupled. In the next one they may not be.

Time is, imho, a measure of change. WIthout change, there would be no way of observing time.

Answer 2

According to Einstein's General Relativity, gravity is not caused by the warping of spacetime in the neighborhood of mass. Gravity is just a name for that warping. Whether you view it this way, or as a force, no one knows why it happens.

If you try to deal separately with the space and time dimensions of spacetime, you get only approximate answers. That's where Special Relativity comes in.

Some scientists consider spacetime meaningful only as relationships among objects. In there view, 'space' outside the bounds of all the matter in the universe doesn't exist. I'm not convinced. In terms of common sense and ordinary experience, you know what space and time are. To make it more complicated than that, you need philosophy.

Answer 3

According to general relativity objects (not subject to forces - gravity does not count as a force here) travel from event a to event b (say clicking the fingers) along the path of least interval. This is analogous to along a straight line - just like in Newton. The difference is that time is involved as well as distances.

Pythagoras: length of line: sqrt(x^2 + y^2 + z^2)
'length' of interval: sqrt(x^2 + y^2 + z^2 + (ict)^2)

Where ic is just a constant, they have their usual meaning.

This interval has the same numerical value as the 'proper time', that is if you glue a clock to a cricket ball and then throw it to someone the ball follows the path for which the clock gives the minimum number of ticks between throw and catch.

It bloody nearly gave me a nervous breakdown typing that lot.

Answer 4

i can't answer all of those, but yes, Einstein said it was the SPACE-TIME continuum.

If you look up the "rubber sheet universe" on Google,
you will read about ( and maybe find a video of) gravity wells and how they work. It seems to be the area you are thinking about.

======
BTW, i have heard from a physicist or 2 that at absolute zero degrees in Kelvin, there is no movement. which brings in the question "Does time stop at absolute zero?"

Answer 5

Or is it the other way around. I think it is. Gravity causes distortion of space time. Think of space time as a big net/trampoline w/ weights on it for mass. The net/trampoline curves inward toward the mass. This may be caused by the properties of the bose particle and it's unique properties concerning mass.

Can time or space be measured w/o a basis? There are several theories but i think no.

Answer 6

There are two distinct views on the meaning of the word time.

One view is that time is part of the fundamental structure of the universe, a dimension in which events occur in sequence, and time itself is something that can be measured. This is the realist's view, to which Sir Isaac Newton subscribed, and hence is sometimes referred to as Newtonian time.

A contrasting view is that time is part of the fundamental human intellectual structure (together with space and number) within which we sequence events, quantify the duration of events and the intervals between them, and compare the motions of objects. In this second view, time does not refer to any kind of entity that "flows", that objects "move through", or that is a "container" for events. This view is in the tradition of Gottfried Leibniz[2] and Immanuel Kant, in which time, rather than being an objective thing to be measured, is part of the measuring system used by humans.

Gravitation is a natural phenomenon by which all objects with mass attract each other. In everyday life, gravitation is most familiar as the agency that moves objects with weight.

In scientific usage gravitation and gravity are distinct. "Gravitation" is the attractive influence that all objects exert on each other, while "gravity" specifically refers to a force which all massive objects (objects with mass) are theorized to exert on each other to cause gravitation. Although these terms are interchangeable in everyday use, in theories other than Newton's, gravitation is caused by factors other than gravity. For example in general relativity, gravitation is due to spacetime curvatures which causes inertially moving objects to tend to accelerate towards each other. Another (discredited) example is Le Sage's theory of gravitation, in which massive objects are effectively pushed towards each other.

Do your probably right, but there are still a lot of questions.

Answer 7

Gravity is the result of all masses being attracted to each other and is not a question of warping time etc.

Answer 8

I don't think there is a correlation between time and gravity. I believe it (gravity) depends on mass, but then again, I'm not a physics scholar, but I did study in many years ago. Time has passed me by if I am wrong.

Answer 9

god your confusing me. gravity has to do with the size of the object your nearest to. the size of the earth is what your nearest to. don't understand the other questions. it would seem to me that if your smart enough to ask those questions you would be smart enough to ask your teacher or professors about them.

Answer 10

Yes, you are very perceptive (and advanced).