What is Gravity? How Does it Work & What Are Effects?

[Nash Su]

How does gravity work? I want to know where gravity comes from on the atom and how it attracts other matter towards it. Also the black hole gravity is so strong that not even light can escape it. Does this mean that light is being lightly bend when it passes another star/planet?

 

[phinds]

Does this mean that light is being lightly bend when it passes another star/planet?

Yes.

Technically, light is bent by ANY object with mass, but of course unless the mass is large, the amount of bend is negligible.

I personally bend light all the time, but like many of my efforts, the effect is negligible.

 

[Drakkith]

How does gravity work? I want to know where gravity comes from on the atom and how it attracts other matter towards it. Also the black hole gravity is so strong that not even light can escape it. Does this mean that light is being lightly bend when it passes another star/planet?

This is a very big subject. Currently our main theory of gravitation is General Relativity. GR says that mass and energy cause a curvature of spacetime which results in objects "attracting" each other. The reason why this results in an attraction is fairly technical and involves a lot of math you most likely have never seen or heard of before. I don't even know it very well myself, so I cannot explain it.

Anything with mass or energy will gravitate, so the force isn't being "emitted" by a specific spot on an atom, but by the whole atom. (Or, if you prefer, from each subatomic particle that composes the atom)

Interestingly, one of the first tests of Einsteins Genral Theory of Relativity was to measure the change in the path of light around the Sun during an eclipse.

 

[haruspex]

Interestingly, one of the first tests of Einsteins Genral Theory of Relativity was to measure the change in the path of light around the Sun during an eclipse.

Just to clarify a possible misunderstanding for the reader: It's not that the eclipse changed the path of the light. It would have changed anyway, but the eclipse made it observable.

 

[PJC01]

Gravity is a fundamental force of nature that is responsible for the attraction between objects with mass. It is the force that keeps planets in orbit around the sun, and holds us to the surface of the Earth. The concept of gravity was first described by Sir Isaac Newton in his famous law of universal gravitation, which states that every object in the universe is attracted to every other object with a force that is directly proportional to the product of their masses and inversely proportional to the square of the distance between them.

But what causes this force of gravity? According to Einstein's theory of general relativity, gravity is not a force between masses, but rather a curvature of space and time caused by the presence of mass and energy. This means that objects with mass actually bend the fabric of space and time, creating a gravitational pull that attracts other objects towards it.

On an atomic level, gravity is caused by the mass of the particles that make up the atom. The more mass an object has, the stronger its gravitational pull will be. This is why larger objects, like planets and stars, have a stronger gravitational force than smaller objects, like atoms.

When it comes to black holes, their intense gravity is a result of their incredibly high mass and density. The gravitational pull of a black hole is so strong that it can even trap light, which is why they are called "black" holes. This means that light passing near a black hole will be bent and pulled towards it, but not necessarily "lightly". In fact, the gravity of a black hole is so strong that it can even distort the fabric of space and time itself.

In summary, gravity is a force that is caused by the presence of mass and energy, and it works by bending the fabric of space and time. Its effects can be seen on both a macroscopic and microscopic level, and its strength is directly related to the mass of the objects involved. The extreme gravity of black holes is a result of their massive and dense nature, and it can have a profound impact on the surrounding space and objects.