Do black holes have surfaces?
In: Physics
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Depends on what you mean by “a black hole” and a “surface”. A black hole has two major components that we can both think of as “the black hole”. There is the singularity, and the event horizon.
The singularity is the point in space where all the mass of the back hole is concentrated at. Based on our current understanding of black holes, the singularity has 0 volume, and is infinitely dense. It’s a one-dimensional object. Since it has no volume, it has no surface area, and therefore no surface.
The event horizon is the distance away from the singularity where you can no longer escape. It’s located at radial distance away from the singularity, and therefore is a sphere around the singularity. It has a surface area which you can calculate. Although it’s not a “surface” that you could stand on. It’s just an arbitrary location in space where once you go past it you are doomed to fall into the black hole.
So to answer your question: yes and no. Depends on what parts of the black hole you are referring to, and what exactly you mean by a surface.
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