- #1
malignant
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If you had a spring attached to the other side of the galaxy and pulled on it from one end, it can't instantly stretch on the other side, right? Even though that's what springs do? So what would happen?
gneill said:A compression wave (well, in this case a "decompression wave" I suppose) would travel along the spring at the speed of sound in the spring. The speed will be significantly slower than light. If the galaxy is taken to be about 120,000 light years in diameter, the receiving end won't notice the tug for well over 120,000 years.
malignant said:How come only at the speed of sound?
malignant said:If you had a spring attached to the other side of the galaxy and pulled on it from one end, it can't instantly stretch on the other side, right? Even though that's what springs do? So what would happen?
malignant said:If you had a spring attached to the other side of the galaxy and pulled on it from one end, it can't instantly stretch on the other side, right? Even though that's what springs do? So what would happen?
cjl said:This is actually a pretty fun demo to do. All you need is a very weak spring. In other words, a slinky...
In a strong spring, the propagation velocity will be much faster, so it isn't as obvious on normal scales, but effectively, the same thing will happen.
luitzen said:What would happen if you had a very rigid and strong, but also brittle rod and you would suddenly pull it very hard? Would it break?
luitzen said:What would happen if you had a very rigid and strong, but also brittle rod and you would suddenly pull it very hard? Would it break?
A spring attached to the other side of the galaxy is a hypothetical scenario where a massive spring is attached to an object at one end and extends all the way to the other side of the galaxy.
The purpose of this scenario is to illustrate the concept of infinite extension and the effects of gravity on an object at the other end of the spring.
Although the effects may be extremely small, the gravitational force of the spring can still exert a pull on objects on Earth. However, this force would likely be undetectable due to the immense distance and gravitational pull of other celestial bodies.
This scenario is purely hypothetical and not based on any known scientific evidence. The laws of physics currently do not support the existence of a spring that extends across the entire galaxy.
This scenario can teach us about the vastness of our universe and the effects of gravity on objects. It can also encourage us to think creatively and explore new ideas in the field of physics.