5 Questions
Explain the origin of gravitational waves and the theory behind their existence.
Gravitational waves are waves of the intensity of gravity that are generated by the accelerated masses of binary stars and other motions of gravitating masses. They were first proposed by Oliver Heaviside in 1893 and then later by Henri Poincaré in 1905 as the gravitational equivalent of electromagnetic waves. Albert Einstein later predicted them in 1916 on the basis of his general theory of relativity as ripples in spacetime.
What was the first indirect evidence for the existence of gravitational waves and who made the observation?
The first indirect evidence for the existence of gravitational waves came in 1974 from the observed orbital decay of the Hulse–Taylor binary pulsar. Russell A. Hulse and Joseph Hooton Taylor Jr. received the Nobel Prize in Physics for this discovery in 1993.
Explain the relationship between Newton's law of universal gravitation and the existence of gravitational waves.
Newton's law of universal gravitation, part of classical mechanics, does not provide for the existence of gravitational waves, since that law is predicated on the assumption that physical interactions propagate instantaneously (at infinite speed). This shows one of the ways the methods of Newtonian physics are unable to explain phenomena associated with relativity.
How do gravitational waves transport energy and what are they similar to?
Gravitational waves transport energy as gravitational radiation, a form of radiant energy similar to electromagnetic radiation.
Who first proposed the idea of gravitational waves and in what year?
Gravitational waves were first proposed by Oliver Heaviside in 1893 and later by Henri Poincaré in 1905.
Test your knowledge about gravitational waves and their discovery, including the scientists who first proposed and predicted them.
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