Light & Blackholes: Unraveling the Mysteries

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Discussion Overview

The discussion revolves around the nature of light, its interaction with black holes, and concepts such as redshifting and polarization. Participants explore theoretical aspects of light in the context of general relativity and seek clarification on these topics.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory
  • Conceptual clarification
  • Debate/contested
  • Homework-related

Main Points Raised

  • Some participants question how light, which has no mass, can be captured by a black hole.
  • One participant explains that in general relativity, gravity is described as the curvature of spacetime, and light follows geodesics in this curved spacetime.
  • There are requests for simplifications of complex concepts related to light, redshifting, and polarization.
  • A metaphor involving a badminton net is used to illustrate the curvature of spacetime and how objects interact with it.
  • Some participants suggest using external resources like Wikipedia for definitions and explanations of redshifting and polarization.
  • There are indications that some participants suspect the inquiries may be related to homework, leading to suggestions to independently research the topics.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants express varying levels of understanding and seek clarification on the concepts discussed. There is no consensus on the explanations provided, and some participants feel that the questions may be homework-related, leading to a mix of support and reluctance to provide direct answers.

Contextual Notes

Some participants express difficulty in grasping the explanations provided, indicating that assumptions about prior knowledge may not hold for all contributors. The discussion includes references to external resources, which may not address all participants' needs for clarification.

Who May Find This Useful

This discussion may be useful for individuals interested in the fundamental properties of light, the implications of general relativity, and those seeking to understand concepts related to black holes, redshifting, and polarization.

Mr.maniac
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Well read a post long ago about light

My questions are:

If light has no mass then how can it be suck in a black hole?

What exactly is redshifting?

What do polarizing glasses do?
 
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Mr.maniac said:
If light has no mass then how can it be suck in a black hole?
In Einstein's theory of general relativity, gravity is not a force but a curving of spacetime.

Light follows straight lines (properly called geodesics) through curved spacetime which toward the black hole.

As for 'what is' questions, well, Wiki is a good primer.

Mr.maniac said:
What exactly is redshifting?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Redshift

Mr.maniac said:
What do polarizing glasses do?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polarization_(waves)
 
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Thanx but don't quite get it "what is" questions perhaps you could simplify it.

(Also that what are the children forum and is it okay for a 7th grader like me).
 
Assume a Badminton net tightly spread parallel to floor and above the floor.Assume it as flat space-time without force of gravitation.Now put a 1kg iron ball on it,it bends down a little to create slope around it like toilet .This is curvature of space time.
Now another smaller ball will go towards bigger ball due to curvature.
 
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I really appreciate your answer but I also need to know about redshifting and polarizing
 
I am beginning to suspect that this is for homework. We won't do your work for you.

Read the articles. See if you can make sense. If you're not sure, tell us what you can and we'll try to help.
 
Maniac, just type in" What is the red shift? " into Google and then read.Easy as eating pie.
 

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