Astronomy › Section R · Black holes and curved spacetime › Topic R.1
General relativity: spacetime and gravity
Newton described gravity as a force pulling across space. Einstein replaced that picture with a stranger and more accurate one: mass and energy curve space and time, and everything, light included, simply follows the curves.
In this topic
- Why Newton was not the last word
- The equivalence principle
- Worked example: weight in a lift
- Gravity must bend light
- Worked example: how far does light fall?
- Spacetime
- Mass curves spacetime
- How strong is the curvature?
- Two descriptions, one reality
- Common mistakes to avoid
- Key takeaways
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