The idea of the outcome of an experiment depending on whether or not it is being observed is strange. I have never seen this happening in real live.
Still in physics it is held that it does exist: the double slit experiment using very low-energy laser light (assuming that one photon passes the...
Many thanks for everybody's time and answers! I learned a lot.
There are many different waveforms possible (especially in a 3 dim or even 4 dim field) and different waves have to behave according to different mathematical rules.
Thanks! I suppose the main difference between a mathematical wave of nothingness and a wave in some medium is that the mathematical wave has no push-back from other particles. However, an oscillation does (in my mind) give a clue that there is a push-back: the further off-centre a particle...
That's an interesting thought. I think you are right. Many thanks to all for the answers!
I am trying to imagine how the individual segments of the wavefront would move in the case of a transverse wave propagating away from the centre.
I guess there could be a ring-shaped transverse wavefront...
In the wiki it says: '...propagates from that region in all geodesic directions'. They do seem to be talking about longitudinal waves...
I understand the mathematics are working, but how can longitudinal waves be polarized? (i.e. have an angle)
Is it possible to polarize a sound-wave?
Thinking about this some more, I think maybe the point I missed is that the time dimension is bent by the presence of mass as well.
If it wasn't, two stationary objects would stay stationary, even if the three space dimensions were warped somehow.
Many thanks for the answer. The wikis seem to be about longitudinal waves.
However, light is not a longitudinal wave, because longitudinal waves cannot be polarized but light-beams can.
According to Maxwell/Feynman a light probability wave is actually 2 waves in two fields: electro & magnetic...
OK, so a quick follow up question then: if total momentum in 4-dim spaceTime stays the same (which I assume it should), then it follows that the 3-dim movement which has started must make the movement in the time-dimension slower.
A question about the light-waves and the double-slit experiment:
Light can be polarized: If you turn a polarization sheet in a polarized beam of light, you can see that polarized light has an angle. So the light-wave is transverse (right?)
But how does a transverse wave ‘bend’ as it goes...
Two stationary masses will attract each other. That is, they start moving towards each other. For example, a stationary apple will fall to earth.
I can see bent space affecting the trajectory of a moving object.
...but how does bent space explain that stationary objects start moving?