eli5: How does gravity bend space-time when space is…nothingness? How do you bend nothing?

Question

I understand time has more of a construct to it making it easy to manipulate and bend but I don’t understand how the same can be true for space. Doesn’t the fact that space bends means it something fundamentally rather than nothing emptiness?

In: 7

Answer 1

Space is (almost completely) empty, in the sense that there is almost zero **matter**.

HOWEVER, space-time is most akin to a scientific **field**, similar to the electro-magnetic field.

This field (like the electro-magnetic field) extends everywhere, and essentially “just exists”, no matter what is around it (matter or not).

It is the presence of matter (or energy) that bends the field, “creating” (the effects of) gravity.