Editing 1158: Rubber Sheet
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==Explanation== | ==Explanation== | ||
| − | This comic refers to a [http://en.allexperts.com/q/Astronomy-1360/question-black-holes-1.htm common analogy] used to explain how mass distorts space-time | + | This comic refers to a [http://en.allexperts.com/q/Astronomy-1360/question-black-holes-1.htm common analogy] used to explain how mass distorts space-time - a bowling ball resting on a sheet of rubber distorts the sheet due to its weight. The system has some qualitative features in common with gravity; it's often misused to show that "mass warps spacetime" ([[895: Teaching Physics]]). |
The next part of the original analogy explains a black hole: the slope of the sheet becomes so deep that you can't climb out from the bottom any more, similar to a black hole, which even light can't escape from. However, the comic subverts the analogy, and the sheet becomes a trampoline instead. | The next part of the original analogy explains a black hole: the slope of the sheet becomes so deep that you can't climb out from the bottom any more, similar to a black hole, which even light can't escape from. However, the comic subverts the analogy, and the sheet becomes a trampoline instead. | ||
