Einstein's general relativity says gravity is spacetime curvature, but what does that mean? Let's take a look at how gravitational time dilation results in a...
If cosmic inflation is correct, probably not. Inflation is our best theory of the beginning of the universe.
According to inflation, spacetime expanded exponentially from an infinitesimal point to many billions of light-years across. As far as we can tell, the universe is expanding again but at a much slower rate, due to dark energy.
Spacetime survived the inflationary period, so it looks like it doesn’t have a “tear” mechanism.
Another way to think of it, is to assume once torn, what is it tearing “into”. If you rip a bit of fabric, you look through to the other side, nothing special. If you tear our 4-dimentional spacetime, what are you looking at when you look “through” the ripped portion? This implies that out 4D spacetime is somehow existing in a higher dimensional reality.
What if it is getting ripped/torn but there’s just more space ‘underneath’ that instantly fills the gaps as they are created? I guess at that point it’s indistinguishable from stretching but it’s interesting to think about
Can spacetime be ripped or torn? Or is the fabric metaphor simply a way of understanding and visualizing it?
If cosmic inflation is correct, probably not. Inflation is our best theory of the beginning of the universe.
According to inflation, spacetime expanded exponentially from an infinitesimal point to many billions of light-years across. As far as we can tell, the universe is expanding again but at a much slower rate, due to dark energy.
Spacetime survived the inflationary period, so it looks like it doesn’t have a “tear” mechanism.
Another way to think of it, is to assume once torn, what is it tearing “into”. If you rip a bit of fabric, you look through to the other side, nothing special. If you tear our 4-dimentional spacetime, what are you looking at when you look “through” the ripped portion? This implies that out 4D spacetime is somehow existing in a higher dimensional reality.
What if it is getting ripped/torn but there’s just more space ‘underneath’ that instantly fills the gaps as they are created? I guess at that point it’s indistinguishable from stretching but it’s interesting to think about