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Mr. Immortel
Lv 7
Mr. Immortel asked in Science & MathematicsAstronomy & Space · 9 years ago

Does not the term "fabric of space" suggest that space has interwoven threads of energy?

Does this suggest that celestial objects hang upon or within such? Gravity is the warping of space fabric. Therefore, it seems likely that since literal fabric can be warped by an object of mass this also holds true for the fabric of space. Since gravity forces onto object from every point in space does this suggest that the fabric actually engulfs objects instead of it being only a 2 dimensional sheet? It seems that the fabric of space is actually layers of sheets of energy which engulfs (being under, over and all around layering) all celestial objects. The higher the mass the more pressure the layers of the fabric of space exerts upon an object. What do you think?

Update:

To Mourning...scientists use the term "fabric of space" because space does have similarities to actual fabric though it is a form of energy. And yes if they called it "lemonade of space" it would be for a good reason. I would wonder what about space makes it similar to "lemonade".

Update 2:

To Mourning...scientists use the term "fabric of space" because space does have similarities to actual fabric though it is a form of energy. And yes if they called it "lemonade of space" it would be for a good reason. I would wonder what about space makes it similar to "lemonade".

Update 3:

To Mourning...scientists use the phrase for a good reason. Energy can be in a formation. And though the fabric of space may not mirror all details of material fabric it does have the basic similarities of tangible fabric. They do not use the term just for the sound or they like the ring of it.

Update 4:

To Alexander...Though space is a vacuum it is not at all void. Space is a form of energy that is influenced by energy, force, pressure and mass. The fabric of space has to do with similarities between the energy of space and that of physical fabric. If it were called "kaleidoscope of space" there would be a good reason other than simply using a label to describe it. It would have some basic features that remind us of a kaleidoscope. You simply do not understand how space is similar to fabric.

Update 5:

To Alexander...Though space is a vacuum it is not at all void. Space is a form of energy that is influenced by energy, force, pressure and mass. The fabric of space has to do with similarities between the energy of space and that of physical fabric. If it were called "kaleidoscope of space" there would be a good reason other than simply using a label to describe it. It would have some basic features that remind us of a kaleidoscope. You simply do not understand how space is similar to fabric.

Update 6:

To Alexander...Though space is a vacuum it is not at all void. Space is a form of energy that is influenced by energy, force, pressure and mass. The fabric of space has to do with similarities between the energy of space and that of physical fabric. If it were called "kaleidoscope of space" there would be a good reason other than simply using a label to describe it. It would have some basic features that remind us of a kaleidoscope. You simply do not understand how space is similar to fabric.

Update 7:

To SpartanCanuck...I know what a metaphor is and a metaphor alludes to similarities between things that are unrelated. The "fabric of space" and physical fabric do have some similarities. Some of us just do not yet understand them or it.

Update 8:

To SpartanCanuck...I know what a metaphor is and a metaphor alludes to similarities between things that are unrelated. The "fabric of space" and physical fabric do have some similarities. Some of us just do not yet understand them or it.

Update 9:

To SpartanCanuck...I know what a metaphor is and a metaphor alludes to similarities between things that are unrelated. The "fabric of space" and physical fabric do have some similarities. Some of us just do not yet understand them or it.

Update 10:

AdamD...space does have structure and it is in some ways similar to fabric. Just because the structure of space is not physical or tangible that in itself does not mean it does not have similarities with that which we can see and touch.

Update 11:

AdamD both a spitball and a bullet come from a process, are made by chemical reactions and are in a form that can be used as a projectile. Both the banana and the plantain have flavor, texture and nutrition, despite it being different. The analogy between the fabric of space and material fabric have more things in common then you think.

Update 12:

AdamKadmon thank you for your answer. Gravity, from scientific reports, is external. It is a property of the fabric of space and merely produced by the mass of objects within space. Gravity presses upon objects, except at black holes it both pushes and pulls at the same time, from all points in space. Stars and planets are not gravity wells, although they do produce the effects of gravity because of their mass. Gravity presses or forces upon an object of mass from every point around it toward its center, therefore allowing it to hang or exist suspended in space. So the universe is like an ocean with objects of mass "floating" or suspended in the vastness of space. Afterall it is a vacuum. Unlike the ocean, space has no bottom nor is gravity pressing down on space, space has the capacity for gravity to form. Just as fish can swim and float in the sea without falling to the bottom so too objects in space float and travel, that is "swim" through space.

Update 13:

RickB I do believe we exist in three dimensional space of the universe. Some consider time as the fourth dimension but I do not. Time is merely the measure of the movement of energy whether fluctuations or vibrations. Time is interconnected with all things in existence because all things are either energy or made of energy. Therefore, all things are governed and affected by time. Time is not a dimension and that is why, if considering time as the fourth dimension, one cannot draw a picture of it. Time has no shape or size or direction for that matter. Time merely gives energy and matter direction to the perception of humans.

8 Answers

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  • Alexander
    Lv 5
    9 years ago
    Favorite Answer

    Space, by definition, is a vacuum devoid of anything. The objects within it move and relate to their own mass and the mass of those around them. This includes everything from collections of dust that form stars to planets to black whole to everything else in the universe. The term "fabric of space" has absolutely NOTHING to do with cloth. It relates to the vacuumous nature and the objects of mass that create gravity and movement within the vacuum.

    Not to be rude, but I have to agree with the other posted answer. If I called it the kollaidoscope of space would you try to turn the barrel at the end to see different colors?

  • RickB
    Lv 7
    9 years ago

    > "...the fabric actually engulfs objects instead of it being only a 2 dimensional sheet?"

    Yes, that's the case. The analogy of a 2-dimensional sheet is just a metaphor; in reality the "fabric" has 4 dimensions; but it is very hard to draw a picture of something with 4 dimensions(!) so it's illustrated using a 2-dimensional analogy.

    The picture of spacetime as a "fabric" is designed to illustrate how geometrical properties can change as the fabric is "warped". For example, if you draw a triangle on a FLAT 2-D fabric, its angles will sum to 180 degrees. But if you draw a triangle on a WARPED 2-D fabric, in general its angles will sum to some value different than 180 degrees. Similarly, the ratio of a circle's circumference to its diameter may or may not be "π", depending on whether the circle is drawn on a "flat" or "warped" 2-D surface.

    Relativity shows that high concentrations of mass/energy have such effects on geometry. For example, if you draw a triangle--with perfectly straight sides--around a very massive object like a star, its angles will sum to more than 180 degrees. For that reason we say that gravity (mass/energy) "warps" space, because it changes the rules of geometry in a way analogous to the warping of a 2-dimensional fabric.

  • AdamKadmon
    Lv 7
    9 years ago

    Gravity is not external, it also comes from the inside of objects, which is why planets are round or oblate spheroids, because all distances are equal from the inside, creating a sphere of any object over 530 miles or so in diameter. Gravity isn't just from outside objects, but also from the inside of massive ones, which is why planets, stars, etc., are called Gravity Wells. Spacetime is not a fabric, that's just an easy way to describe its properties. You can also (wrongly) think of it like an ocean, with the planets, etc. creating faster currents that attract and pull in objects. However, the Earth is NOT falling towards the bottom of the Universe as it travels through space, this says that there is something else at work.

  • Adam D
    Lv 7
    9 years ago

    "fabric of space" is an analogy, used to help people who do not have advanced degrees in physics and mathematics to visualize the effects of things like mass and gravity.

    It has nothing to do with the actual structure of space-time, it is just an expression.

    EDIT: Firing a bullet and shooting a spitball out of a straw are similar, and analogous to one another. This does not mean that I can use the science behind metallurgy to explain how one makes a spitball out paper and saliva. A banana and a plantain look similar - aside from appearance, they are completely different, in flavor, texture, nutrition, etc. Just because two things share a single trait does not mean one can assume that they share other things, or that the mathematical descriptions governing one will govern both.

    "Fabric" is used simply because it works to convey the distortion of space-time by gravity - when you set a basketball on a taut cloth, it bends. Science fiction hasn't helped this, because the idea of a tearing the cloth lends itself neatly as a story device.

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  • Morningfox
    Lv 7
    9 years ago

    Wait a minute ... you take the term "fabric of space", and then go on about the properties of cloth fabric, and therefore space has to have those same properties?

    If I called it the "lemonade of space", would you ask what kind of lemons?

    If I called it the "car race of space", would you ask if the cars were Fords or Honda?

    The term "fabric of space" is just words. They are not supposed to suggest that all the properties of cloth also apply to space. n This is why scientists prefer to use equations, which are much more difficult to miss-use this way.

  • Gee Waman
    Lv 6
    9 years ago

    Human brain is trying to understand the Cosmos. But, I am convinced that, to understand, the Cosmos in its all dimensions is beyond the limits of Human Brain. Because Human brain is a part of Cosmos, it can never conceive Cosmos in full.

  • SpartanCanuck
    Lv 7
    9 years ago

    Perhaps if you're utterly unfamiliar with a common linguistic device known as a metaphor.

  • uniontera6
    Lv 6
    9 years ago

    Uniontera number 1, hope it helps. (about E)

    Uniontera number 13, hope it helps. (about Space)

    Existence is the time expressed by light itself. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MjmOw1Pnc4s

    Source(s): uniontera poem _ type A
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