relativity

[keepitmoving]

gravity reaches across space and apparently reaches across time. If it reaches into the past doesn`t that cause some confusion for those who aren`t involved in the gravity event?

[Vanadium 50]

I don't know what "reaches into the past" could possibly mean, but I can tell you that whatever it is, gravity doesn't do this.

[keepitmoving]

i guess the way i said that sounded funny. I was referring to the
"warping" of time.

[Matterwave]

Matter warps space time, such that clocks move at different speeds when in different gravitational fields. This doesn't mean gravity affects things in the past...? I guess I don't really get what your question is...

[keepitmoving]

not being a professional physicist, i guess i use a simpler language. i was thinking that the warping of spacetime meant the warping of time as well. i used the phrase reaching back in time in a similar way to gravity reaching or warping space. and i was just wondering if that warping went backwards in time. In other words does the past still exist? I know it sounds sci fi, sorry.

[A.T.]

i was thinking that the warping of spacetime meant the warping of time as well. i used the phrase reaching back in time in a similar way to gravity reaching or warping space.
Warping means here that the distances are distorted. No idea what you mean by "reaching", but i don't think the same. Try to understand what terms actually mean, instead of inventing new synonyms for them, making it hard to understand you.
In other words does the past still exist?
Depends what you mean by "past" and "still exist".

[keepitmoving]

A.T. - i appreciate the feedback. I know i`m guilty of over philosophizing physics. I should have used the words "effect the past" rather than "reaching back into the past".
I have read of some professional physicist speculating on this possibility however.
Do you think the past still exists and can it be effected.
By the way, i understand that a professional physicist can`t go willy nilly on wild speculation for professional reasons. Being a relative amateur with nothing to lose however, i can.
Just searching for true physics here!

[diazona]

If the past still existed, it wouldn't be the past, it would be the present :wink: Seriously though, gravity doesn't do anything weird like "reaching back in time." An object cannot feel any change in gravity before the event that caused that change took place. (That's using a common-sense definition of "before")

Unfortunately, keepitmoving, I suspect that the simple language you are trying to use is just not precise enough to properly answer your question. I don't mean to sound insulting at all, it's just a fact that in order to really understand physics (such as gravity and time) you need to understand the math.

[A.T.]

Just searching for true physics here!

Physics is the wrong place to search for truth. Try math. :wink:

http://imgs.xkcd.com/comics/certainty.png

[keepitmoving]

well, is the year 1856 still in existence? I know, i know, it`s a silly question.