Its H again! In this post I have something a bit different to talk about: space-time as it is described in Einstein’s theory of relativity.
Basically space time is a 4D representation of space and time (where time is the fourth dimension). You can visualize it by thinking of a large sheet of rubber with spheres placed on it (representing plants and stars), the indentations created in the rubber by the “spheres” represent a two-dimensional version of gravity. The planets orbiting the sun are like marbles pushed horizontally around a giant funnel; however the planets avoid being pulled into the center of the funnel (the “sun”) because of the law of the conservation of momentum.
The law of the conservation of momentum is difficult to explain, but it is the principle that allows bicycles to stay up. Basically it describes the tendency of objects “orbiting” other objects (weather it is a planet orbiting a star, or a yoyo on a string) to resist any force applied from any angle other than the one which the object is traveling.
This has profound implications such as time travel, faster than light travel, and wormholes, I will likely cover such topics in future posts. More importantly, perhaps this could explain how Santa, with a gaggle of reindeer pulling a clearly un-aerodynamic sleigh can make his jaunt around the world in just a single night.
Reply in the comments, I would love to hear what you think of space-time and what knowledge about physics you have because I have a great interest in the topic. Feedback is also appreciated!
May your space-physics brains have a very merry x-mas.
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