GR Part II: Gravity is Curved Space

For a detailed lesson template with learning outcomes, keywords etc. click here.

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Left: Spacetime fabric demonstration ............Middle: Model of gravity waves .......Right: Measurement of same
(Images courtesy of Rolly Meisel, Discovery Channel, Taylor and Hulse)

Interactive Lecture (30 minutes)
The PowerPoint General Relativity II presentation has the students explore what it would be like if space were curved and how we could test this. Students use balloons and stretchy fabric to make the concepts more tangible and fun. The GR II teachers notes provide details that complement the slides and allow you to do the lesson without PowerPoint if you choose.

Worksheet (20 minutes)
The two-page worksheet GR II Worksheet will reinforce and extend what the students did during the interactive lecture above. The first 8 questions are specifically asked during the lecture and should be filled in as notes. The next 9 questions has them apply what they learnt and do a little research on black holes. The answers are provided in GR II Answers. Questions #3 and #7) are good candiates for use with the whiteboards. A detailed lesson about black holes, that would take another class can be found here.

Other Resources
1) LIGO has some good resources at www.einsteinsmessengers.org/activities.htm

• Video: Einstein's Messengers (20 Minutes) This is a good free video about the search for gravity waves.
• Activity #1: A Model Interferometer. Don't bother, it is just a paper model.
• Activity #2: Searching for Gravitational Waves in Noisy Data (10 Minutes) This is easy to do and explores an important concept. It has students find the best match of smooth model curves with the noisy data.
• Activity #3: Extracting Information (30 minutes) This is much more difficult and mathematical. It has the students calculate the properties of orbiting bodies from their gravity wave signals. They do this by using Kepler’s Laws and other equations that are just given.

2) Dr. Quantum: Flatland (5 minutes) www.youtube.com/watch?v=BWyTxCsIXE4
This animation explores what it would be like to be able to see other dimensions. It is loosely modelled after the next resource.

3) “Flatland: A Romance in Many Dimensions” by Edwin A. Abott 1884. This is a classic book, but there is a reason that so many people know of it but haven’t read it. Its rather dry and slow moving. It really is more about politics and intolerance than about geometry

Last updated June 2010 Thankyou to Tim Langford (Toronto) who found a formula error in the PowerPoint slides.