SPACE-TIME SIMULATION

space-time simulation

Report on the trajectory of a foton-like body moving at a light-like speed passing near a star

introduction

The free software 'Tracker' was then used to analyse a video that had been taken of the spheres described above moving on the model. The data collected seems to suggest that passing near a star modifies the trajectory of foton-like bodies so that it assumes the shape of a parabolic or third-grade function.

introduction

A model that replicates the way space-time is curved by a mass (a structure that holds a lycra towel with metal spheres of various weights and dimensions in moving or stationary status on top of it) was built and used to study the trajectory of a foton-like body moving at a light-like speed.

materials

The materials used are the following:

• 2 plastic hula hoops, 85cm in diameter
• 4 wooden support, 4 by 4cm base, 80cm in height
• 1 lycra towel, big enough to be stretched and fixed on one of the hula hoops, approximately 1,5 by 1,5m.
• 8 clips to fix the lycra towel on the hula hoop.
• 8 screws, 3cm in length.
• 8 plastic supports to fix the hula hoops on the wooden supports using the screws.
• A screw
• A hammer

methods

The plastic supports for the hula hoops were fixed on top and at the base using the hammer to get the screws in a stable position in the wood, the screw was then used to permanently insert them into the support.The hula hoops were then fixed into the supports so that they were at about the same distance from one another along the circumference of the hula hoop.This system replicates the way space time works: when a heavy sphere is placed in the centre of the lycra towel, it bends, just like space time does around moons, planets, stars and black holes. A lighter sphere can be spun around it, thus simulating an object orbiting around a centre of mass.

procedure

After assembling the system we started, with various attempts, to manually reproduce the light-type trajectory using a wooden ball. Then we selected the best trajectory and we filmed it, after that we calculated the distances of various points of the trajectory from the reference axes and we documented everything by writing it down in a notebook. Subsequently we reported the following data on the site "geogebra"

GEOGEBRA ANALYSIS

results

Taking everything into account, we can deduce that the Universe isn't flat because of masses, such as stars and black holes, which "sink" into the Universe itself, which is represented by a piece of black cloth, in our experiment.Once we analyzed the data collected with the tracker software we established that the trajectory made by the smaller sphere could be a parable. However the results obtained during the process are affected by measurement errors, so we can't surely state the previous point.

REPORT

https://docs.google.com/document/d/11eRLFjCNEX5ldtAWUQIPeAAIyAyhRffoAfYj45WluoM/edit#heading=h.nj23sjpj5u97