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Singularity
Aug Member 2023

Singularity

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This web page provides a good explanation: http://www.thebigview.com/spacetime/spacetime.html

To oversimplify the explanation, you have to understand the curvature of space time around a black hole. The basic principle is that because of the curvature of spacetime around a black hole, the amount of "distance" a beam of light has to cover is greater near a black hole. However, to an observer in that gravitational field, light must appear to always be 300,000 km/sec, time has to slow down for that individual as compared to someone outside that gravitational field as related by the time/distance relationship of speed.

Or as the web page says:

If acceleration is equivalent to gravitation, it follows that the predictions of Special Relativity must also be valid for very strong gravitational fields. The curvature of spacetime by matter therefore not only stretches or shrinks distances, depending on their direction with respect to the gravitational field, but also appears to slow down the flow of time. This effect is called gravitational time dilation. In most circumstances, such gravitational time dilation is minuscule and hardly observable, but it can become very significant when spacetime is curved by a massive object, such as a black hole.

A black hole is the most compact matter imaginable. It is an extremely massive and dense object in space that is thought to be formed by a star collapsing under its own gravity. Black holes are black, because nothing, not even light, can escape from its extreme gravity. The existence of black holes is not yet firmly established. Major advances in computation are only now enabling scientists to simulate how black holes form, evolve, and interact. They are betting on powerful instruments now under construction to confirm that these exotic objects actually exist.

Maybe this will explain some of it, Morgan!

- “The darkness heralds only one thing: The end of time ITSELF” -
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02-Oct-2014 02:09:11 - Last edited on 02-Oct-2014 02:09:24 by Singularity

Morgan

Morgan

Posts: 36,054 Sapphire Posts by user Forum Profile RuneMetrics Profile
Okay fair enough, but why is there a curvature in space and time near a black hole? I don't understand how gravity can cause a curvature in space and time :(

It seems I'll have to study the theory of Special Relativity in order to understand this :(

02-Oct-2014 02:24:48

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