Why is gravity visualized by putting a heavy object on a flat plane, creating the curved shape, when space is 3D?

Question

Wouldn’t it curve and pull objects in all directions?

In: 279

Answer 1

Bending a 2d plane forms a 3d shape. Similarly, bending a 3d plane, such as the one we appear to live in, forms a 4d shape.

But it’s quite a challenge to draw a 4d shape, and even more of a challenge to understand what it is you’re looking at. For now at least, 2d > 3d illustrations will have to do.