Does gravity vary with velocity?

In summary, Einstein calculated that the bending of light around a body is twice the value that Newton calculated, which is due to the curvature of space being velocity dependent. This means that a projectile passing the sun at close to the speed of light would experience almost twice the gravitational acceleration predicted by Newtonian gravity. Similarly, a slow moving body would experience weaker gravity than a fast moving body. A paper linked in the conversation provides a more in-depth answer to this question.
  • #1
Zman
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Einstein calculated that the bending of light around a body is twice the value that Newton calculated. My impression is that this is due to the curvature of space which is velocity dependent.

Does this mean that a projectile passing the sun at close to the speed of light would be measured as being gravitationally accelerated at almost twice the value that Newtonian gravity would predict?

Put another way, would it also mean that a slow moving body would experience a weaker gravity than a fast moving body?
 
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  • #3
Zman said:
Einstein calculated that the bending of light around a body is twice the value that Newton calculated. My impression is that this is due to the curvature of space which is velocity dependent.

Does this mean that a projectile passing the sun at close to the speed of light would be measured as being gravitationally accelerated at almost twice the value that Newtonian gravity would predict?

Put another way, would it also mean that a slow moving body would experience a weaker gravity than a fast moving body?

http://scitation.aip.org/getabs/servlet/GetabsServlet?prog=normal&id=AJPIAS000053000007000661000001&idtype=cvips&gifs=yes&ref=no paper should answer your question exactly.
 
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  • #4
starthaus said:
http://scitation.aip.org/getabs/servlet/GetabsServlet?prog=normal&id=AJPIAS000053000007000661000001&idtype=cvips&gifs=yes&ref=no paper should answer your question exactly.

To which I linked in post #2.
 
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  • #5
Thanks, the abstract of the paper did answer my question. I'm also amazed that you were able to relate my question to that paper.

It is not required but it would have been nice to have browsed the whole paper.

Thanks
Zman
 

What is gravity?

Gravity is a natural force that causes objects with mass to be attracted to one another.

Does gravity vary with velocity?

Yes, according to the theory of relativity, gravity does vary with velocity. As an object's velocity increases, its gravitational force also increases.

How does gravity vary with velocity?

The theory of relativity states that as an object's velocity increases, its mass also increases. This increase in mass leads to a stronger gravitational force between objects.

Is there a limit to how much gravity can vary with velocity?

Yes, there is a limit. According to the theory of relativity, the speed of light is the maximum velocity that an object can have. Therefore, the maximum amount of gravitational force that can be produced by an object is when it is traveling at the speed of light.

Are there any real-life examples of gravity varying with velocity?

Yes, there are several examples. One example is the orbit of Mercury around the Sun. The planet's high velocity causes its mass to increase, leading to a stronger gravitational pull from the Sun. Another example is the gravitational forces between particles in a particle accelerator, where the particles are traveling at extremely high velocities.

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