Sunday, October 5, 2008

Why light bends? Why planet doesn't collide with sun?

• Consider an elastic rubber sheet (plane). If we place a big mass object (A) on it, the sheet will deflect in curvature around A (like funnel).
• Another small mass object (B) is kept on sheet, and given motion. While passing the curvature, the object will be deflected towards A. But it will not directly fall on A. Instead it will circle around A.
• We are bounded by four dimensions (3 space dimensions & time). Consider all objects are on space- time (four dimensions) plane. Due to heavy mass, the plane gets curvature. This curvature is gravity as per Einstein.
• Any object passing the curvature will be deflected towards it.
Objects with slow speed will fall on it (Like comets), Objects in particular moderate motion will cancel the gravitational force (like planet) and will keep rotating around it. Light (highest motion) will be slightly deflected towards sun, changing light path.

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