View Single Post
  #14  
Old 12-04-2009, 06:55 AM
sjastro's Avatar
sjastro
Registered User

sjastro is offline
 
Join Date: Jun 2007
Posts: 2,926
[quote=Archy;432690]
Quote:
Originally Posted by sjastro View Post
Since the Earth is not sufficently massive to cause space-time to curve, the surrounding space is flat and the geometry must be Euclidean.

Is there a critical mass that makes space curved? the closer one gets to a centre of mass no matter how small, the more curved space-time gets. The further one gets from a centre of mass no matter how large, the "flatter" space-time gets.
Space time is effected by density not mass.

The density of the Sun's core causes barely perceptable space time curving such as the bending of star light.

As one moves away from the source, space becomes flatter as indicated by the perihelion advance of each planet's orbit. Mercury has the greatest value which progressively decreases for each planet as one moves outwards.

Space-time however is still extremely flat in the Sun's vicinity.

Steven
Reply With Quote