The teacher's manual answer is that mass warps space. But the real answer is "Just Because" it's what mass does. == It's interesting in this day and age when we're on the threshold of discovering the very basic nature of the universe by virtue of our understanding of matter and spacetime that we don't know more about gravity. For as long as I can remember, the best answer for the question "what is gravity?" is this one: We don't really know. It's still true. Accept it. Say it with me: we don't really know. See? It didn't stop working just because we made that admission. We know what gravity does. There is a wonderful history associated with its quantification. We can sure measure its effects, can't we? Those elegant sets of calculations for, say, the music of the spheres, are nothing short of breathtaking. But what is it that is accessible to the rest of us that lets us get a handle on gravity? There really isn't too much. Let's review. Matter has mass and occupies space. By virtue of just existing, matter warps spacetime. It puts a dent in it. But that doesn't provide too much extra help. Spacetime is (hold on to your seat) a mathematical construct. Darn it! That ain't any help! Perhaps an experiment would help. Try something that's been passed along to teachers here and there. The necessary equipment list includes a bed sheet and two modestly heavy balls like croquet balls. Lighter balls like tennis balls won't work as well, but a bit of creative thinking and experimenting will allow one to make a good substitute for the wooden spheres. Four students hold a bed sheet by the corners and stretch it out. Hold it steady! Put a ball in near the middle. See the dent? That's what mass (the ball) does to spacetiime (the sheet). This is a two-dimensional model, but it is really quite good. Now add the second ball near the first one. (A bit of practice might be required because there are limits on what the bed sheet will allow. Try short sheeting the setup from one or from two adjacent sides.) The second ball makes a dent like the first one, but the space between them is deformed, and the balls will roll together. If they are placed too far apart, the demonstration breaks down, but that's where the practice comes in. Lastly, it's absolutely wonderful and exciting that we don't know more about gravity! We know all this other stuff. All this other science and technological stuff. And yet here is gravity! It is so big, so broad in its effect, that it is the large scale organizer of the whole universe itself! We have spent our entire lives in it, and we react to it without thinking when we move. And yet it stands in defiance of our understanding! Hey! Anybody wanna Nobel prize? Wanna become world famous? Wanna have hotties asking you for your phone number? We have this little problem that needs solving....
Mass causes gravity due to the curvature of spacetime, as described by the theory of General Relativity. Mass interacts with the fabric of spacetime, bending it and creating a gravitational field that attracts objects towards it. Essentially, the more mass an object has, the stronger its gravitational pull.
Gravity is a property of mass. In an analogous manner one may say that yellow is a property of pure sulfur. Or that transparency is a property of many silicate materials.
It is not a cause and effect process such as photosynthesis and the production of oxygen.
Physicists now know that there are a family of sub-atomic particles that in various configurations make things such as protons and neutrons, but the exact nature of these is not well understood. It is suspected that the Higgs Field is the sub-atomic process from which mass derives, but the mechanism is not well understood.
Gravity is the name given to a phenomenon wherein matter attracts matter. Gravity, which is a "dent" in spacetime, is proportional to the masses that are attracting one another because it is the amount of mass that determines the amount of gravimetric attraction. The real scoop is that the depth of the "dent" that a mass makes in spacetime is proportional to the mass of the object making the dent. The more massive it is, the deeper the dent, and the more gravity it has. It's that simple.
Mass have gravity because it causes an object to have weight in gravitational field.
For example ,the mass of an object remains constant regardless of its location. Thus, as a satellite moves away from the gravitational pull of the Earth, its weight decreases but its mass remains the same.
Gravity is caused by the resistance of a body to a change in motion or inertia (property of a body that makes it oppose any force that would cause a change in its motion).
That's a really good question that a lot of physicists would like to know the answer to. One theory is that it has to do with a particle called the Higgs boson which has been predicted but never observed. One of the things scientists at the Large Hadron Collider will be doing is looking for the Higgs boson.
Mass creates a curvature in spacetime, as described by Einstein's theory of general relativity. This curvature is what causes objects with mass to be attracted to each other through the force of gravity.
Objects falling to the center of the Earth due to gravity is an example of gravitational force at work. Gravity is a fundamental force of nature that causes objects with mass to be pulled towards each other. In this case, the Earth's mass creates a gravitational pull that causes objects to accelerate towards its center.
Venus has less mass than earth and therefore a weaker gravity field.
The gravity of a planet like Mercury is directly proportional to its mass. This means that as the mass of Mercury increases, so does its gravity. Gravity is the force of attraction between two masses, and the larger the mass of an object, the stronger its gravitational pull.
The sun has more gravity because it has more mass. (The greater the mass the more gravity)
Gravity is the force that causes all types of mass movement, such as landslides, rockfalls, mudflows, and avalanches. When the force of gravity overcomes the friction holding rocks and sediment in place, mass movement occurs.
gravity
Gravity, honey. : )
Gravity causes all the types of mass movement. :P
The moons mass in general causes the tides. Mass has gravity, and the moon is massive enough for its gravity to pull noticeably on the oceans.
No. Mass is not gravity, any more than fat is weight. Mass is the material that you're made of. Gravity is the name for the characteristic of our universe that causes two pieces of mass to attract each other.
the mass of the earth exerts gravity on all objects around it
The force that causes attraction between objects that have mass is called gravity. Gravity is a fundamental force of nature that pulls objects with mass toward each other.
Force of Gravity.
Mass is a measure of the amount of matter in an object, weight is the force of gravity acting on an object due to its mass, and gravity is the natural force of attraction between objects with mass. In simple terms, mass is what an object is made of, weight is the force with which it is pulled down by gravity, and gravity is what causes that force.
That force is known as gravity.
No, gravity is a force that pulls objects towards each other. Mass movement refers to the downhill movement of rock, soil, and debris under the force of gravity. Gravity is the force that causes mass movement to occur.