What comes to mind when you think about empty space? (You should be thinking: “Nothing!”) One of Einstein’s greatest ideas was that empty space is not actually nothing – it has energy and can be influenced by objects in it. It’s like the T-shirt you’re wearing. You can stretch and twist the fabric around, just like black holes do in space.
Today, you will get introduced to the idea that gravity is the structure of spacetime itself. Massive objects curve space. How much space curves depends on how massive the object is, and how far you are from the massive object.
Materials
- Two buckets with holes in the bottom
- 2 bungee cords
- 3 different sizes of marbles
- 2.5 lb weight
- 0.5 lb weight
- 3 squares of stretchy fabric
- Rubber band
- 4 feet of string
- Fishing bobber
- Drinking straws
- Softball
- Playdough (optional)
ok thanks 🙂
Make sure you are logged in first! This video is a bit longer – about 17 minutes.
Where is the videos that go with this experiment?
Oops – sorry about that. Here’s a link to a NASA video animation that you’ll like.
don’t see the animation of two galaxies colliding?
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Is this a grade 9-12 experiment?
You need to be logged in to see the video. It’s near the top!
Where the videos that go with this experiment?