Space-time curvature Definition and 35 Threads

Here is my question Imagine if you had an object, this object is then accelerated. The process of acceleration bends space-time. For a black hole to form there must be extreme curvature of spacetime. Therefore, accelerating an object at such a high rate could create a black hole. I am not...

Is there a general method to determine what geometry some line element is describing? I realize that you can tell whether a space is flat or not (by diagonalising the matrix, rescaling etc), but given some arbitrary line element, how does one determine the shape of the space? Thanks

Greetings: I watched several videos describing so-called "empty space" as being permeated with fields (electron field, quark field, etc.). Is it possible that it is actually these fields that curve about large masses and that the trajectory of light and matter curve because they follow the...

In an ideal world with uniform gravity field, what does its space-time curvature look like? Is it non-zero? If not, how a free particle would be accelerated with the point view of space-time curvature? By uniform gravity field, I mean a gravity field with same value, same direction everywhere...

I wonder if someone would field a beginner's muse I had: If gravity is just an illusion of the curvature of space caused by mass, does not the matter within that space follow the curve? and what is the granularity of that curvature? Does the curvature exist in the space between the nucleus and...

Hi there. I was wondering that if mini or micro black holes could theoretically exist, and if not all black holes need to "devour' matter, then could it be possible that all things we perceive to have gravity could possibly be caused by a mini or micro black hole at the center of massive objects...

It is often said that gravity is a curvature of space-time and not a force. But since gravity is caused by mass, there must be some way in which mass curves space-time. What are the equations for how mass affect space-time?

We recently touched base with gravity in regards to general relativity and I'm a bit perplexed. So apparently (and correct me if I'm wrong) gravity is created when the mass of the universe warps, or bends, space-time. I've read all those analogies about a trampoline curving due to an object of...

If space is warped around heavy objects in space, i feel that space would be FUBAR around black holes. So, my question is, Does light get sucked in by gravity, or does it just get caught in the warped space around a black hole?

Suppose we are in a Minkowskian space, away from all the source of gravity, and observe an accelerated frame from this frame. Acoording to Equivalence principle, we can consider the accelerated frame to be at rest and assume we have gravity in the accelerated frame. Thus, observer in the...

Assuming that my understanding is correct, I believe it was Einstein who proposed that gravity is the result of the warping or curving of space-time. My question is this: if gravity, which is solely attractive in nature, is the result of warped or curved space time, then is it possible for the...

A photon traveling from its source at light speed is said to not experience time and therefore be everywhere at once. Well not exactly, it can only be everywhere at once along its projected path assuming the photon's path in a vacuum is not altered by anything. Time itself cannot alter the...

Could a photon utilize quantum tunneling to escape the threshold of a black hole or the confines of the curvature of space-time? Could any particle for that matter?

1. Gravity is the geometric curvature of space-time caused by massive objects. 2. Dark Matter surrounds galaxies. 3. Dark Matter is thought to be critical in galaxy formation. 4. The mass of Dark Matter creates curvatures in space-time around baryonic matter which forms galaxies. What roles...

When we talk about space-time curvature or the curvature of space, how many different "types" of curvature are there according to GR? For example, the rounded surface of a cylinder is curved in only 1 dimension, while the other is flat. For a sphere, both dimensions of the surface are curved...

Hi everybody, As you know, the Einstein field equation R_{μ\nu} - 1/2Rg_{μ\nu} =κT_{μ\nu} implies that at any point with vanishing energy-momentum tensor the Ricci curvature also vanishes: T_{μ\nu} = 0 \Rightarrow R_{μ\nu} = 0 hence a Ricci-flat space-time (the vacuum...

Is there a single equation that can model both spatial and temporal metric contraction simultaneously? And also what's that equation that can model the actual degree of curvature n space-time that uses trig functions and how do you use that in combination with the two previously mentioned...

If gravity rises from the fact that mass bends space-time and stuff falls in because it actually follows a straight line in a curved space as it moves by a gravitating object - doesn't that mean that a relatively stationary particle would not fall in the the claws of gravity as it would NOT be...

Space-Time Curvature Question! Hi Guys, A question about the curvture of space-time by mass. Where is the point of maximum curvature?? Is it at the centre of mass (i.e.. the middle of the body) The reason I ask, is that when space-time curvature is shown visually it makes out like it is a...

Hi there. This is my first posting to this forum, and in fact to any forum in many years, so please excuse me if I have not followed the rules correctly or chosen the correct forum. I have been watching a lot of Neil DeGrasse Tyson-related videos and it has lead me to a line of thinking...

Could it be possible that space-time curvature is not caused by matter but is an inherent characteristic of space-time? Wouldn't this explain dark matter?

What would the units be on the curvature of spacetime? G(curvature)=8πGT/c^4

Please read and critique this argument for me please, any help is appreciated. Imagine a geodesic, and a matter wave that traverses this geodesic. The action of this matter wave determines the motion of the matter wave along this geodesic over a given space-time interval, and is specified...

Please read and critique this argument for me please, any help is appreciated. Imagine a geodesic, and a matter wave that traverses this geodesic. The action of this matter wave determines the motion of the matter wave along this geodesic over a given space-time interval, and is specified...

Hi, I'm new here. I want post a specific question that's been rattling around in my head. Basically, if you consider the curvature of 3 dimensional space into a 4'th dimension due to gravitational field, has anyone considered the 'direction' of that curvature ? If you think about the...

General Relativity explains that every single piece of mass alters the space-time fabric, creating a curve. But since we live on a three-dimensional universe shouldn't the curvature alter the fabric in every dimension, creating some kind of weird closed curve that might look as a bubble around...

I've been wondering if there is a relationship between the mass of an object and how much it "curves" space-time. I can't seem to find an equation or connection, I have looked at four-momentum but am not certain what it actually calculates. Maybe I just don't know it and there is yet an equation...

Please note that I do NOT want to discuss whether gravity is a force or the effect of space-time curvature here. If you want to discuss this, please post a separate topic about it. What I wanted to ask is what Einstein's own beliefs on this were. Up till now I had always believed he had...

First I thought If nothing can move faster than c, then nothing can accelerate faster than c/sec, right? Well, that means that the maximum amount space-time can curve is up to the ol' 45 degree slope, not like straight down as some black-hole pictures are made. Right? And then I thought...

Why do things orbiting, i.e. free-falling, around Earth float away from each other? Why don't they both free fall toward Earth together? I remeber hearing once that if you let go of 2 objects while 'floating' in space they both go away from you and away from each other. Is this due to curving...

Does relativistic mass curve space-time, i.e., does relativistic mass affect the gravitational field of an object?

I do wonder if space-time curvature can be applied to artificial satellites ... I think yes because that could be the reason why they are revolving around earth. Doubt:But what happens if they gain velocity more than the escape velocity. I could be conceptually wrong but if the above...

Is it accurate to claim that space-time curvature in general relativity means a curvature of a space-time with a Minkowski pseudo-metric?

The old 2D paper describing 3D curvature is a little lame because it uses gravity to describe gravity. You know, the little ball circling the 2D psuedo-black hole, well remove gravity and the ball would fly off the 2D paper, you can't use gravity to describe gravity. It would be like saying...

I understand that the curvature is caused by the depression of a mass in the space-time surface. What I don't understand is what is causing this depression. For example, is it the bodie's resistance to the motion of the space-time surface? Or is it that the curvature is caused by the...