Curved space and gravitational waves

In summary: The worldtube of an object with no spatial velocity looks like a cone. This is because the object is moving so quickly that it covers a large area in a short amount of time. The faster the object, the broader the cone. curvature of spacetime, not curvature of space. Even a point particle has temporal extent.
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Nidhi1007
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TL;DR Summary
An object moving in a straight line appears to be attracted to a massive body due to the curvature of space, this gives the appearance of gravity attracting the body. But why does a body at rest tend to move along the curvature of space?
Are gravitational waves purely temporal? An object with no spatial velocity experiences gravity due to temporal velocity?
 
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  • #2
Nidhi1007 said:
temporal velocity

There is no such thing as temporal velocity.
 
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  • #3
Nidhi1007 said:
Summary:: An object moving in a straight line appears to be attracted to a massive body due to the curvature of space, this gives the appearance of gravity attracting the body. But why does a body at rest tend to move along the curvature of space?
It is curvature of spacetime, not curvature of space. Even a point particle has temporal extent.
 
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weirdoguy said:
There is no such thing as temporal velocity.
No, but the four-velocity is timelike.
 
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  • #5
Dale said:
It is curvature of spacetime, not curvature of space. Even a point particle has temporal extent.
Thank you
 
  • #6
Nidhi1007 said:
But why does a body at rest tend to move along the curvature of space?
Because it isn't the curvature of space, it's the curvature of spacetime. The curvature of space really isn't important for gravity except for the most precise measurements or in really extreme circumstances. It's actually the curvature in space-time planes that is important for gravity, and objects have an extent in time.
Nidhi1007 said:
An object with no spatial velocity experiences gravity due to temporal velocity?
Better to say that it is because all objects have an extent in time. There is a kind of meaning to "velocity in a timelike direction" and you do see this written in popsci, but it's a kind of misdirection to associate four velocity with the more familiar velocity from school physics. They are rather different things.
Nidhi1007 said:
Are gravitational waves purely temporal?
Gravitational waves have nothing to do with this. Gravity as we experience it every day and gravitational waves are related phenomena, but they are not the same thing.
 
  • #7
Ibix said:
It's actually the curvature in space-time planes that is important for gravity, and objects have an extent in time.
We can say each object is represented in spacetime by a worldtube.
 

FAQ: Curved space and gravitational waves

What is curved space?

Curved space refers to the concept that the universe is not flat, but instead has a curvature to it. This curvature is caused by the presence of mass and energy, and is described by Einstein's theory of general relativity.

How do gravitational waves relate to curved space?

Gravitational waves are ripples in the fabric of space-time that are caused by the acceleration of massive objects. These waves travel through the curved space and can be detected by sensitive instruments on Earth.

What evidence do we have for curved space and gravitational waves?

The most well-known evidence for curved space and gravitational waves comes from the observation of the bending of light around massive objects, such as stars. This phenomenon, known as gravitational lensing, is a direct result of the curvature of space. Additionally, the detection of gravitational waves by the LIGO experiment in 2015 provided strong evidence for the existence of these waves.

How does curved space affect the motion of objects?

In curved space, objects do not follow straight paths like they do in flat space. Instead, their paths are curved due to the influence of gravity. This is why planets orbit around the sun in elliptical paths rather than straight lines.

Can we manipulate curved space and gravitational waves?

Currently, we do not have the technology to manipulate curved space and gravitational waves. However, some scientists believe that in the future, we may be able to control these waves and use them for various purposes, such as communication or energy production.

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