- #1
corvetteguy
- 5
- 0
Hi, i just found this forum when trying to find an answer to a question. I am not a physicist, not even close, I'm in high school still. Anyway, i will try to explain my question the best i can. It would be a lot easier if i could draw it but alas i can not...
I am trying to conceptualize curved space in my head. To me its the equivalent of trying to make a globe of the Earth into a flat map of the earth.
From what i understand, from our perspective, space isflat, however if looked at from an outside perspective space folds on itself, hence where the possibility of wormholes come from, opening short cuts across these folds of space. When i think about this, and try to combine it with my understanding of gravity, which is that, as analogy, gravity wells are like the effect an object placed on a stretched sheet has. If you were to put a marble on a sheet, it will create a depression. A bowling ball will create a bigger depression. Also variations of denisity will create deeper depressions. The depressions affect other objects as they roll along the sheet, and fall into the depression.
Now, if I say that the sheet is space, and space is curved, if two depressions on either side of a sideways "U" shaped space are so "deep" that at some point they would either interact with either other and combine, or pass right by each other, creating some kind of anamoly in the middle, because from the wells' perspective they are far apart and not interacting, they will continue moving "down" relative to their perspective.
Another way i thought to describe it is this.
Situation 1: Picture a cross section a curved space, with an object like he earth, on opposite sides. The shape of the cross section would look like a peanut, with the two depressions creating a fat figure 8 shape.
Situation 2: Now imagine at a certain point, the two depressions merge, creating a perfect figure 8 shape. This to me would be something possibly like a black hole, but i don't know. I would think that the cross over would be when a neutron star becomes a black hole, but that's assuming black holes are special. For all i know they could just be very very dense, and the fact that light can't escape makes us believe they are special. Anyway...
Situation 3: Imagine now that the objects are so dense, perhaps, black holes, perhaps not, that they go beyong merging, and continue on in their respective "down" directions. This would create some "overlap" between, where on each side, the object on the left is being pulled left by gravity but is actually below the object that started on the left, which is now on the right. The area between would be up or down relative to which side you started from?
Also, is there a maximum size a gravity well can be? At some point would the "sheet" "rip".
I am also now realizing that i am assuming the "space" in the middle has dimensions, which i don't know either. As you can see, i am very confused XD IF you can decipher my question and idea, could you enlighten me to what the reality is?
I am trying to conceptualize curved space in my head. To me its the equivalent of trying to make a globe of the Earth into a flat map of the earth.
From what i understand, from our perspective, space isflat, however if looked at from an outside perspective space folds on itself, hence where the possibility of wormholes come from, opening short cuts across these folds of space. When i think about this, and try to combine it with my understanding of gravity, which is that, as analogy, gravity wells are like the effect an object placed on a stretched sheet has. If you were to put a marble on a sheet, it will create a depression. A bowling ball will create a bigger depression. Also variations of denisity will create deeper depressions. The depressions affect other objects as they roll along the sheet, and fall into the depression.
Now, if I say that the sheet is space, and space is curved, if two depressions on either side of a sideways "U" shaped space are so "deep" that at some point they would either interact with either other and combine, or pass right by each other, creating some kind of anamoly in the middle, because from the wells' perspective they are far apart and not interacting, they will continue moving "down" relative to their perspective.
Another way i thought to describe it is this.
Situation 1: Picture a cross section a curved space, with an object like he earth, on opposite sides. The shape of the cross section would look like a peanut, with the two depressions creating a fat figure 8 shape.
Situation 2: Now imagine at a certain point, the two depressions merge, creating a perfect figure 8 shape. This to me would be something possibly like a black hole, but i don't know. I would think that the cross over would be when a neutron star becomes a black hole, but that's assuming black holes are special. For all i know they could just be very very dense, and the fact that light can't escape makes us believe they are special. Anyway...
Situation 3: Imagine now that the objects are so dense, perhaps, black holes, perhaps not, that they go beyong merging, and continue on in their respective "down" directions. This would create some "overlap" between, where on each side, the object on the left is being pulled left by gravity but is actually below the object that started on the left, which is now on the right. The area between would be up or down relative to which side you started from?
Also, is there a maximum size a gravity well can be? At some point would the "sheet" "rip".
I am also now realizing that i am assuming the "space" in the middle has dimensions, which i don't know either. As you can see, i am very confused XD IF you can decipher my question and idea, could you enlighten me to what the reality is?