10+ Facts About Gravity | Weighty facts about gravity
The secrets of the fundamental force that holds entire galaxies together:
1)Gravity: Gravity, or gravitation, is a natural phenomenon by which all things with mass or energy—including planets, stars, galaxies, and even light—are brought toward one another. On Earth, gravity gives weight to physical objects, and the Moon's gravity causes the ocean tides.
2)Gravity is most accurately described by the general theory of relativity (proposed by Albert Einstein in 1915), which describes gravity not as a force, but as a consequence of the curvature of spacetime caused by the uneven distribution of mass.
10+ Facts About Gravity | Weighty facts about gravity
3)Gravity might be carried by massless particles called gravitons.
In the Standard Model, particles interact with each other via other force-carrying particles. For example, the photon is the carrier of the electromagnetic force. The hypothetical particles for quantum gravity are gravitons, and we have some ideas of how they should work from general relativity. Like photons, gravitons are likely massless. If they had mass, experiments should have seen something—but it doesn’t rule out a ridiculously tiny mass.
4)Gravity can bend light
If a large collection of matter lies between the Earth and a light source, the path of the light curves as it travels toward us, creating smears, multiple images, or even a complete Einstein Ring. This is known as gravitational lensing and is down to the effect mass has on the fabric of the universe.
Einstein explained that gravity is the result of massive objects distorting the fabric of space-time, a bit like bowling balls sitting on a sheet of rubber. As light travels past a massive object, it is forced to travel around the curve and its path becomes bent.
5)Without gravity your body starts to go wrong
Our bodies evolved on the surface of the Earth and are optimised to function in Earth’s gravity, but in microgravity our systems cannot function normally. If there is no weight on our load-bearing bones, the body starts to remove calcium, and if we stop using the muscles that support our backs and legs, they become weaker.
6)The force of gravity accelerates everything at the same rate, regardless of weight. If you dropped balls of the same size but different weights from a rooftop, they would hit the ground at the same time. The heavier object’s greater inertia cancels out any speed it might have over the lighter object.
7)Einstein’s general theory of relativity was the first to treat gravity as a distortion of space-time, the “fabric” that physically embodies the universe.
8)The “Three-Body Problem,” determining all the patterns three objects orbiting each other could take if influenced only by gravity, has puzzled physicists for 300 years. So far they’ve found only 16 types of solutions — 13 of them just discovered this March.
9)To understand gravity better, scientists are looking for gravitational waves, ripples in space-time that result from things like black holes colliding and stars exploding, according to Amber Stuver, a physicist at Louisiana’s Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave Observatory (LIGO).
10)Once LIGO researchers successfully detect gravitational waves, they’ll be able to use them to see the cosmos as never before. “Every time we’ve looked at the universe in a new way,” Stuver says, “it revolutionized our understanding of the universe.” Talk about heavy.
10+ Facts About Gravity | Weighty facts about gravity
People also ask
What is the strangest thing about gravity?
Gravity is lumpy Even on Earth, gravity isn't entirely even. Because the globe isn't a perfect sphere, its mass is distributed unevenly. And uneven mass means slightly uneven gravity
Is gravitation a fact?
Universal Gravity is a theory, not a fact, regarding the natural law of attraction. This material should be approached with an open mind, studied carefully, and critically considered. The Universal Theory of Gravity is often taught in schools as a fact, when in fact it is not even a good theory.
Who discovered gravity facts?
Isaac Newton
Isaac Newton changed the way we understand the Universe. Revered in his own lifetime, he discovered the laws of gravity and motion and invented calculus. He helped to shape our rational world view. But Newton's story is also one of a monstrous ego who believed that he alone was able to understand God's creation.
What is gravity 4th grade?
Gravity is the force of attraction between two objects. It is what makes things fall and what keeps us from floating off into space. Gravity is a fundamental force of nature.
Is there a place without gravity?
There is no such thing as zero gravity in space. Gravity is everywhere in the universe and manifests itself in black holes, celestial orbits, ocean tides, and even our own weight.
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