Exploring Einstein's General Relativity: The Effects of Gravity

In summary, according to Einstein's General relativity, gravity is not a force but a curvature of space-time fabric. This means that objects in spacetime follow geodesics, which appear as "gravity" to us. This explains why objects on Earth are pulled downwards and how gravity can hold celestial bodies in their orbits without being a force.
  • #1
Arlene G.
2
0
According to Einstein's General relativity, gravity is known as a curvature of space-time fabric. I watched a video clip on youtube and it said that gravity is not really a force but a shape of space and time. Then here comes a question-if gravity is not a force and just a curvature of fabric of space-time, then how does it affect the objects in Earth not to float but to pull them downwards?

Second of all, how can gravity hold all sorts of celestial bodies in place without letting them move away from their orbits if it is not the force? In a 3D version of space time fabric-not considering time here-, i can imagine space time fabric curving around each bodies. The curvatures(gravity) just seem to 'bend', and not 'hold' the planets, stars, etc...?

Am I getting something wrong?
Please help meX)!
 
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  • #2
Arlene G. said:
According to Einstein's General relativity, gravity is known as a curvature of space-time fabric. I watched a video clip on youtube and it said that gravity is not really a force but a shape of space and time. Then here comes a question-if gravity is not a force and just a curvature of fabric of space-time, then how does it affect the objects in Earth not to float but to pull them downwards?
Because objects in spacetime following so-called geodesics. A geodesic on a plane is a straight line, but on a sphere it is curved (e.g. the line from the North pole to the equator and then to the south pole as a half circle). This is what we call "gravity", but objects merely follow geodesics.

Second of all, how can gravity hold all sorts of celestial bodies in place without letting them move away from their orbits if it is not the force? In a 3D version of space time fabric-not considering time here-, i can imagine space time fabric curving around each bodies. The curvatures(gravity) just seem to 'bend', and not 'hold' the planets, stars, etc...?

Am I getting something wrong?
Please help meX)!

Again: it's the "fact" that objects seem to follow geodesics in spacetime. The orbit of a planet is a geodesic in the spacetime, of which the geometry is (mainly!) determined by the Sun.
 
  • #3
Haushofer, danke sehr!
Now I quite understand the point that I firstly mentioned:)

I now remembered the answer to my second question.
It was on tip of my tongue and you helped me out. XD
 

1. What is Einstein's General Relativity?

Einstein's General Relativity is a theory of gravity that explains how objects with mass interact and how gravity affects the shape of space and the flow of time. It is a cornerstone of modern physics and has been extensively tested and confirmed through various experiments.

2. What are the effects of gravity according to General Relativity?

According to General Relativity, gravity is not a force between masses, but rather a curvature of space and time caused by the presence of mass. This curvature can cause objects to move towards each other, as we observe with the Earth orbiting around the Sun.

3. How does General Relativity differ from Newton's theory of gravity?

Newton's theory of gravity describes gravity as a force between masses, while General Relativity explains it as a curvature of space and time. Additionally, General Relativity accounts for the effects of gravity on the flow of time, which is not included in Newton's theory.

4. What are some practical applications of General Relativity?

General Relativity has many practical applications, such as GPS systems, which use General Relativity to account for the effects of gravity on the satellites' clocks. It is also used in space exploration and has even been used to detect gravitational waves, confirming a key prediction of the theory.

5. How can we test the predictions of General Relativity?

General Relativity has been extensively tested and confirmed through various experiments, such as the bending of light around massive objects and the precession of Mercury's orbit. Additionally, modern technologies, such as GPS, rely on the accuracy of General Relativity's predictions.

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