Eli5: How does gravity affect time, dumb it down for me as much as possible
In: 286
Let me take a crack at it.
How does gravity affect time.
So you can think of a space and time as the same thing.
So how does gravity affect space?
Gravity bends space which then makes any object effected have to travel a longer route to get to its destination.
The fastest route to any destination is a straight line and gravity makes everything bend and thus take the slower route. The closer you are to a massive gravity producing object the more of the bend.
And since space and time are the same thing. When gravity bends space and makes that path longer/slower what we perceive as people is the after effects which is time dilation.
Think of the earth, you can drive straight around our planet and never notice the curvature. An outside observe can look and say that the earth isn’t flat but from your perspective it’s flat.
That’s the difference in time for two people, one affected and one that observes.
The person who observes sees you moving thru the bend in space time. (not visually bending)
But rather taking the longer route which is slower.
So to an outside observer you are moving slower thru space/time because welp you are.
So how does gravity affect time?
Gravity effects space and since space and time are the same, gravity effects time in the same way of extending the travel it takes to move towards a destination.
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