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jadrian
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for example, if a star theoretically came into existence 10 light minutes away, would we feel its pull instantaneously? or would it take 10 minutes for us to feel its pull?
phyzguy said:It would take 10 minutes for us to feel the pull. Changes in gravity propagate at the speed of light. The easiest way to see this is by linearizing Einstein's equations of general relativity, so that the metric is a flat metric plus a small perturbation. Then it's easy to show that such perturbations travel at the speed of light and are called gravitational waves.
Instantaneous attraction in gravity refers to the idea that the force of gravity acts immediately between two objects without any delay. This means that as soon as two objects with mass are in each other's presence, they will be attracted to each other without any time delay.
According to classical physics, gravity is considered an instantaneous force. However, in modern physics, it is believed that the force of gravity is transmitted through particles called gravitons, which travel at the speed of light. This means that there may be a slight delay in the force of gravity acting between two objects.
The concept of instantaneous attraction in gravity is different from other forces because most other forces, such as electromagnetism, have a finite speed of propagation. This means that there is a delay in the force acting between two objects, whereas gravity is believed to act instantaneously.
One of the main pieces of evidence that supports the idea of instantaneous attraction in gravity is the observation that the force of gravity between the Earth and the Sun is constantly acting on each other, even though they are millions of miles apart. This suggests that there is no delay in the force of gravity between the two objects.
Yes, there are some theories, such as general relativity, that challenge the concept of instantaneous attraction in gravity. These theories propose that gravity is not an instantaneous force and that there may be a delay in its effects. However, these theories have not been definitively proven and the concept of instantaneous attraction in gravity is still widely accepted in classical physics.