Question

I don't know much about this topic, but I read something saying that gravity is not a force using an example of inertial observation. I started thinking about the topic again when I was researching photon spheres and thought why does gravity (if it is a force) curve light when photons have no mass. The only possible answer would be that gravity is not a force but rather the warp of space around mass. Would this be right?

Answer 1

Gravity is not a force that pulls on light, but rather the presence of mass curves or warps the fabric of spacetime, affecting the path of light. Einstein's general theory of relativity explains that the bending of light by gravity is a result of the effect of mass on the curvature of spacetime.

Step-by-step explanation:

Gravity is not a force that pulls on light, but rather the presence of mass curves or warps the fabric of spacetime. This curvature of spacetime is what affects the path of light. When light travels through a region of distorted spacetime caused by the presence of mass, its path will be different from what it would have been in the absence of gravity.

Einstein's general theory of relativity explains that matter tells spacetime how to curve, and spacetime tells matter and light how to move. So, the bending of light by gravity is a result of the effect of mass on the curvature of spacetime.

For example, imagine a beam of light passing close to a massive object like a black hole. The mass of the black hole creates a strong gravitational field that curves the spacetime around it. The light beam follows the shortest path in this curved spacetime, which appears to us as the light being bent by gravity.