AST201H1 Lecture Notes - Lecture 5: Equivalence Principle, Orbital Velocity, Circular Orbit

• School: UTSG
• Department: Astronomy & Astrophysics
• Course: AST201H1
• Professor: Macdonald

Document Summary

Einstein realized that the equivalence of acceleration and gravity had profound implications. 3rd picture - as accelerates, shift even greater but the equivalence principe says that gravity and acceleration are equivalent and indistinguishable so if acceleration bends light, gravity must bend light too. Bending light if einstein is right, starlight should bend around the sun do stars just behind the edge of the sun shift slightly in their positions by the amount. Gravity has same effect as acceleration: general relativity does away with gravity and replaces it with curved spacetime, objects. Matter curves space-time: creates mini sink holes around objects the weight curves space time. Space tells matter how to move general relativity replaces the force of gravity in gr, freely falling objects follow the straightest possible path through curved spacetime. General theory of relativity says that space tells matter how to move. Objects in free-fall follow trajectories determined by curved space time.