08 February 2024

Gravity and gravitational wave:

Dear Mr. Hollings The term 'travel' typically implies movement from one place to another. In the context of gravitational fields, the source refers to the massive body generating the field, which can be considered as the 'traveling' entity. However, it's important to note that the volume of the gravitational field remains constant relative to the source. From this perspective, the gravitational field itself is not traveling; rather, it's the source that may move along with its gravitational field. This is because the volume of the gravitational field surrounding a massive body remains consistent, indicating that the gravitational field doesn't undergo travel in this sense.

Regarding your query about the last sentence in 5b, it's important to distinguish between 'Gravity' and 'gravitational wave' as they represent distinct phenomena. The gravitational field associated with gravity does not travel in the same manner as gravitational waves. The gravitational field originates from a fixed massive body and remains stationary relative to it. On the other hand, gravitational waves are generated by the acceleration or distortion of massive bodies. These waves propagate through space at the speed of light, carrying energy away from the source of disturbance."
Gravity and Gravitational Field: Gravity refers to the force of attraction between objects with mass. The gravitational field is the region of space surrounding a massive object where the force of gravity is exerted. This field is generated by the presence of mass and extends indefinitely, becoming weaker with distance from the source.
Gravitational Wave and Sources: Gravitational waves are ripples in spacetime caused by the acceleration or distortion of massive objects, such as black holes or neutron stars. These waves propagate outward from their source at the speed of light, carrying energy away from the system. Sources of gravitational waves include events such as the merger of binary black holes, the collapse of massive stars, or asymmetrical supernova explosions.

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