Hello everyone. My question is: If photons are believed to have no mass how do large gravitational objects effect them and are able to bending distort them? (such as galaxies and black holes) thanksPlease Register or Log in to view the hidden image!
Large Gravitational masses distort space around them. The spacial area of distortion can then be called "Stiffened" by electromagnetics, and light seems to bend but is still travelling straight. In away this means that light doesn't bend, just space. I suppose you could look at a certain quote from a film about, "It's not the spoon that bends...".
Welcome to sciforums, iwishiwereajap. (Hmmm, strange netname) This is one of those things I had some troubles with understanding and somewhere within the realms of this forums are mentions of it. As Stryderunknown says, it is not that the light is pulled by the gravity but that the space its self is bent. The light is still traveling in a straight line even as it curves. Weird isn't it? Depends on where the veiwpoint of the observer is.
Still I am a little confused on black holes and their ability to not let any light escape at all. To what effect do black hole distort space? I would think that any distortion would still allow light to travel pass that distortion, no matter how severe. Maybe I'm just missing the main point. please respond. thanks guysPlease Register or Log in to view the hidden image!
Look at this link, iwishiwereajap. Do a search for the Schwarzschild radius and for black holes using the search function here. I think that you will find your explaination within sciforums. http://www.sciforums.com/showthread.php?s=&threadid=10755
Energy and mass are equivalent. While photons have no mass, they do posess energy. Gravity affects them just as it does all particles. - Warren
but isn't it the gravity that affects space. and all things in it- thus light doesn't require to be affected dirrectly btw- sorry for my bad physics , but e=mc^2 (mass has to travel at light speed)- they are not equivalent when mass is moving at smaller speeds than c- maybe there's smthing I'm missing
Yes, you're missing everything. Particles with non-zero mass cannot ever travel at light speed. Energy and mass are related through E = mc^2. Energy and mass are equivalent representations of the same thing. There is only one thing. It always comes in particles, such as photons or antineutrinos. Most particles have mass, and mass is essentially just "frozen" energy. Each massive particle includes an inherent quantity of energy that is proportional to its mass. Particles in motion, even massless ones, also have a quantity of energy. Energy and mass are really one and the same, and gravity affects them both equally. Two particles of the same total energy (E = rest mass * c^2 + kinetic energy) are affected by gravity in exactly the same way, even if they have different rest masses. - Warren
