General Relativity Rubber Sheet

General relativity is one of the more challenging ideas in science.

General relativity rubber sheet.

Imagine a large rubber mat with a bowling ball sitting on it. All analogies sacrifice accuracy in order to convey some aspect that is considered significant in this case the notion that gravity is caused by curvature of space time. Some there have wondered if it was the rubber sheet geometry as topology was described as apparently that may have perhaps unconsciously given birth to the idea as an analogy. This state of affairs is almost entirely the result of one the most famous analogies in science.

But on a rubber sheet that is deformed by a. The bowling ball represents a large mass like a planet or our sun. That s hardly surprising given the complexity of the mathematics involved. Rubber sheet with a bowling.

Who came up with the idea of the rubber sheet analogy in relativity. Spacetime is depicted as a rubber sheet whilst an object such as a bowling ball often representing a planet or star though it can be any object with mass then deforms this rubber sheet when it is placed on top. General relativity predicted that light would bend in a gravitational field. Imagine the old bowling ball analogy for general relativity and spacetime.

In general relativity energy and mass have curvature effects on the four dimensions of the universe spacetime. Kentuckyfc writes general relativity is mathematically challenging and yet widely appreciated by the public. Find out what is relativity and how einstein theories of general and special relativity explain the existence of black holes gravitational waves and dark energy. Einstein instantly became world famous.

In 1919 british expeditions to africa and south america observed a total solar eclipse to see if the position of stars near the sun had changed. This curvature gives rise to the gravitational force. It seems topology was established before special or general relativity was formulated. The most common method of describing his theory is called the rubber sheet model.

An analogy is always incorrect otherwise it would not be an analogy. A common analogy is placing a heavy object on a stretched out rubber sheet causing the sheet to bend downward. The ball stretches the rubber to form a nice curved bowl shape.