My Black Hole Theory: Ely Curless

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    Black hole Hole Theory
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Discussion Overview

The discussion revolves around the nature of black holes, particularly focusing on how they interact with light and matter. Participants explore theoretical implications of matter being pulled into black holes, the transformation of matter, and the experience of an observer crossing the event horizon.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory
  • Conceptual clarification
  • Debate/contested

Main Points Raised

  • Ely Curless proposes that if a black hole can pull in light, then matter must also be transformed into energy as it is pulled in, referencing Einstein's laws.
  • Warren argues that the form of matter or light inside a black hole cannot be determined from the outside, as only mass, charge, and angular momentum are relevant to external observers.
  • A later reply discusses the experience of a traveler entering a black hole, noting that tidal forces would destroy them, but they would not perceive any transformation into energy at the event horizon if the black hole is sufficiently large.
  • Another participant reflects on the peculiar experience of seeing images of a star's surface while crossing the event horizon, suggesting that general relativity allows for such phenomena.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants express differing views on the transformation of matter and light in black holes, with no consensus reached on the implications of these transformations or the experience of crossing the event horizon.

Contextual Notes

There are unresolved assumptions regarding the nature of matter and light inside black holes and the implications of general relativity on observer experiences at the event horizon.

Ely Curless
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I was thinking a while back about Black holes and how they could pull in light and matter. I just thought of a problem about this. If a Black Hole could pull strong and fast enough to pull light, then wouldn’t any matter would turned into light or energy itself while being pulled into the Black Hole? According to Einstein’s laws this is true.

-Ely Curless
 
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We cannot say what form matter (or light) actually takes once inside a black hole, because those qualities no longer matter to the outside world. Outside a black hole, only the mass, charge, and angular momentum matter.

- Warren
 
Ely Curless said:
I was thinking a while back about Black holes and how they could pull in light and matter. I just thought of a problem about this. If a Black Hole could pull strong and fast enough to pull light, then wouldn’t any matter would turned into light or energy itself while being pulled into the Black Hole? According to Einstein’s laws this is true.
-Ely Curless

A traveller going into a black hole will eventually be destroyed by tidal forces, but nothing particularly weird will happen to them from their own perspective at the event horizon itself if the black hole is large enough. They will not "turn into energy" for instance.
See for instance Ted Bunn's black hole FAQ

http://cosmology.berkeley.edu/Education/BHfaq.html#q3

"What will happen to me if I fall into a black hole".
 
I think it would be weird to be driving down the highway minding your own business and suddenly see leftover images of the surface of some star whose surface previously crossed the event horizon you're now crossing (and whose photons--that make up the image of the former surface--have been hovering at the event horizon ever since). General relativity allows such weirdness.
 

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