The nature of Space (6/10)

Free learning from The Open University http://www.open.ac.uk/openlearn/science-maths-technology/science

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Professor Russell Stannard explains why the word space so-called empty space isn't simply another name for nothing.

(Part 6 of 10)

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Articles by Professor Russell Stannard on OpenLearn http://www.open.ac.uk/openlearn/profiles/professor-russell-stannard

Study 'The physical world' with the OU http://www3.open.ac.uk/study/undergraduate/course/s207.htm

Study 'The physical world' with the OU http://www3.open.ac.uk/study/undergraduate/course/s207.htm

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Category:

Education

Tags:

• nature of space
• Russell Stannard
• vibration
• particles
• matter
• spatial dimensions
• orbit inflation
• photons
• open university
• ou_s207

[pinochska]

i love how we all have this common interest on the nature of the universe.. and we are such a small number of people

[mikeroephonics]

I'm going through all of these. I like your style! 5/5

[DStrike0083]

@masterineverything because the common belief is that gravity is like a fabric where earths or moons are laying on top of it.

until we can move past that assumption or prove that the assumption is wrong, this is the most basic assumption

[Vikt0rEremita]

ahha cutest outtakes ever.



[masterineverything]

why is it that when we try to explain gravity as curved spacetime and study its effects that our model is always a fabric which stretchs to a "heavy object" and a smaller object's path is alter by that curve. But isnt this example self defeating since the strength and effect of the curve of the stength of the gravity in the demonstration caused by the strength of the gravity on earth?

[Typho0n86]

Could dark energy be the quantum fluxuations

[mustgetlife]

@saganemc2 Let me rephrase it. If you look at the ball-on-a-cloth analogy, there's gravity providing the force, making the cloth a potential surface. Let's say I'm able to imagine 3d space stretched like that, doesn't there need to be a force to make this deformation a potential surface? Or does gravity somehow do both? If mass is acting to deform space, why should this deformation be a potential surface? I don't think this can be explained through youtube coments :) thanks anyway for the reply.

[saganemc2]

we will neither learn all there is to learn or cease to attempt to. the beauty of the "human condition paradox" if you will. We are the universe's self observation experiment.

[saganemc2]

@mustgetlife the other force is the energy released by the crafts propulsion system, it would not escape without it.

[quuanttum]

i think the universe may be expanding faster than the speed of light. .. i think... thats pretty fast!

[quuanttum]

brillient stuff! very interesting! you have added to the expansion of ones mind. however why isn't the space in my lounge room ripping apart because of the dark energy...which makes up most of the universe i..e 73 % and we have never observed it. go figure. maybe the mysterious dark energy is actually about a hundred or so different things beyound our very limited comprehension. ...still why isn't the space in my louge room expanding before my very eyes and contributing to ones universe. 

[mustgetlife]

A thing that always bothered me is that if space was stretching, as is always demonstrated, we wouldn't observe the universe as flying apart. For light to experience extra distance space has to be multiplying, extra space is being generated if you will.

And the curved space around massive bodies - why is it possible break the curved trajectory around a planet for instance? As if there is another force acting in the curved space and not the curvature itself, you couldn't escape curved space.

So?