Classroom Simulation of Gravitational Waves from Orbiting Binaries

• James Overduin ^[1] ; Jonathan Perry ^[1] ; Rachael Huxford ^[1] ; Jim Selway ^[1]
  1. [1] Towson University

     Towson University

     Estados Unidos

     
• Localización: The Physics Teacher, ISSN 0031-921X, Vol. 56, Nº. 9, 2018, págs. 586-590
• Idioma: inglés
• Texto completo no disponible (Saber más ...)
• Resumen

  • Popular demonstrations commonly use stretched spandex fabric to illustrate the way in which curved spacetime mimics the force of gravity in general relativity. There are significant potential conceptual pitfalls to such an approach. In particular, it obscures the fact that most of what we ordinarily feel as gravity is due to the warping of time rather than space, a concept that is admittedly harder to demonstrate. Nevertheless, with appropriate caveats simulations of this kind can convey some of the wonder of Einstein’s theory to non-specialists.