One of Einstein's other theories is the theory of general
relativity.
Under
the general theory of relativity, the presence of a massive body
essentially warps the space nearby. The gravitation curvature of
space. According to general relativity, gravity curves spacetime.
This drawing shows how space is curved around a massive object such
as the sun or a star. The red shaded region in the center indicates
the location of the star. The greatest curvature is found immediately
above the star's surface. Far from the star, where gravity is weak,
spacetime is almost perfectly flat.
This can account for both the bending of light near the sun and the
advance of the perihelion point of Mercury by 43 arcseconds per
century more than would otherwise be expected. The elliptical orbit
of Mercury about the sun rotates very slowly relative to the system
connected with the sun. General relativity successfully explains this
small effect, which predicts that the direction of the perihelion
should change by only 43 arcseconds per century.
The diagram shows how a two-dimensional surface warped into three
dimensions can change the direction of a "straight" line that is
constrained to its surface; the warping of space is analogous,
although with a greater number of dimensions to consider. The effect
is similar to the golfer putting on a warped green. Though the ball
is hit in a straight line, we see it appear to curve.
Main
Physics 1C Main
Objectives
Review
Under
the general theory of relativity, the presence of a massive body
essentially warps the space nearby. The gravitation curvature of
space. According to general relativity, gravity curves spacetime.
This drawing shows how space is curved around a massive object such
as the sun or a star. The red shaded region in the center indicates
the location of the star. The greatest curvature is found immediately
above the star's surface. Far from the star, where gravity is weak,
spacetime is almost perfectly flat.
This can account for both the bending of light near the sun and the
advance of the perihelion point of Mercury by 43 arcseconds per
century more than would otherwise be expected. The elliptical orbit
of Mercury about the sun rotates very slowly relative to the system
connected with the sun. General relativity successfully explains this
small effect, which predicts that the direction of the perihelion
should change by only 43 arcseconds per century.
The diagram shows how a two-dimensional surface warped into three
dimensions can change the direction of a "straight" line that is
constrained to its surface; the warping of space is analogous,
although with a greater number of dimensions to consider. The effect
is similar to the golfer putting on a warped green. Though the ball
is hit in a straight line, we see it appear to curve.