The discussion centers around the concept of gravity, particularly how it can be understood in simple terms. Participants explore analogies, such as the blanket analogy, to explain gravitational attraction and the movement of objects in space and time. The conversation includes attempts to clarify the underlying mechanisms of gravity and the nature of mass attraction.
Participants do not reach a consensus on the best way to explain gravity. While some agree on the usefulness of the blanket analogy and the concept of geodesics, others challenge its clarity and seek further simplification or alternative explanations.
Some participants express limitations in their understanding of complex concepts, indicating a need for simpler explanations. The discussion reflects varying levels of familiarity with the concepts of spacetime and geodesics, which may affect the clarity of the arguments presented.
The depressed blanket doesn't explain mass attraction. For better visualizations including time and geodesics follow the links in this post:samblohm said:I won't understand anything complex so try to be as simple as possible. If gravity is like putting an object on a blanket, so it makes the object attracted to the center, what pushes on the object to make it go to the object that it is attracted to.
An object no matter what, moves through space and time (unless your thinking of parallel universes) because that's the way it is. if it does't i have no idea what it moves through because every thing is space and time. so a very massive object (i'm using a massive object because that's when gravity is really effective) like the sun warps this "fabric" of space and time, (you can think of space and time as a 2D fabric like the sheet on a trampoline). so an example would be a bowling ball on the trampoline and when an object like a tennis ball representing the Earth moves on this fabric it will move on it even if it curves or "warps" (or else it would be in midair). so if the sun curves spacetime, the Earth will move on it because again then it wouldn't be traveling through spacetime. that's how gravity works, and i hope that helps but if not then read a oversimplified version of general relativity. and for the blanket on the object thing that you talked about, what's pushing you or the object is the fact that your traveling through spacetime and if it curves because of a massive object then you should travel through the curved space time which in fact makes you attracted towards the object.samblohm said:I won't understand anything complex so try to be as simple as possible. If gravity is like putting an object on a blanket, so it makes the object attracted to the center, what pushes on the object to make it go to the object that it is attracted to. (I can't explain what I am saying any better. Basically i tried to say what pushes on you.)