MadSci Network: Physics
Query:

Subject: Does gravity really curve space?

Date: Sat Feb 23 18:38:29 2008
Posted by Chris S
Grade level: undergrad School: University of Dortmund
City: No city entered. State/Province: No state entered. Country: Germany
Area of science: Physics
ID: 1203817109.Ph
Message:

I came across this website and I'm hoping someone could shed some light on the 
subject: http://metaresearch.org/cosmology/gravity/spacetime.asp

The author labels 'spacetime' as an abstract mathematical concept, and that we 
use the concept of curved spacetime (purely mathematically) only to describe 
the behavior of objects in a gravitational field. In other words, gravity isn't 
really cuved space, it's only modelled that way, and some other yet to be 
discovered phenomenon is responsible for the actual 'work' done by gravity. 
Have I understood this 
correctly, and is spacetime curvature just a way to mathematically model 
gravity's effects? Or is space really curved in a gravitational field? If so, 
doesn't that mean space must be something physical instead of a vacuum, or 
'nothing'?

Thanks!


Re: Does gravity really curve space?

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