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Why light can't escape a Black Hole's gravity? Answering my own question. But is the answer correct? Rate Topic: ***** 1 Votes

#1 morgsboi 


Atom



Only matter is affected by gravity. And if light is made up of matter, why won't it destroy anything it goes through?

Would this answer be correct:

Black holes warp space-time so much that any particle that crosses the event horizon finds that simply moving forward in time also moves it toward the singularity at the center of the black hole. The only way anything could escape the black hole would be if it could travel faster than light. You can view an event horizon as being defined to be the boundary between an escape velocity that is lower than c and an escape velocity that has to be greater than c.


Another question that I can't answer is: Would light bounce between the event horizon and the mass? Because Professor Stephen Hawking says that not even a black hole is truly black.
So even in the slightest, light should reflect off the black hole but only to get sucked in again as it can't escape the event horizon.
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#2 questionposter 


Primate
Light is not matter, it has no mass, it's primary composition is just energy, and energy is another form of matter and vice versa. Both are effected by the fabric of space and they both effect the fabric of space. Light can't escape from a black hole simply because the gravity of a black hole is too powerful, it creates a gravitational well so steep not even light has enough speed to escape it.

As far as scientists can tell, nothing comes back from the event horizon except perhaps whatever the result is of black hole evaporation. Once light passes the event horizon, it doesn't come out. Black holes don't emit optical photons, so they are the color of black.
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#3 User is online  Klaynos 


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Insert Witty Comment
A quick comment, don't have time for more, sorry. But Energy is a property of stuff, not stuff itself, so saying photos composition is just energy is meaningless.
Klaynos - share and enjoy.
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#4 granpa 


Atom
light may or may not be affected by gravity but it is certainly affected by gravitational time dilation.

time stops completely at the event horizon.
In relativity, reality doesnt change just because you change velocity. Only your perspective on that reality changes.
If event A causes event B then it will do so for all observers.
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#5 IM Egdall 


Molecule
Why light does not escape a black hole -- Recall gravitational red-shift: Say a beam of light in zero gravity has a certain frequency. This same beam of light will have a lower frequency when it is in a gravitational field. In other words, its frequency is stretched towards the red end of the spectrum in the presence of mass/energy. And this so- called gravitational red-shift is relative; the light's frequency is as seen as lower by an observer far away (in zero gravity).



So what about a black hole? This ultimate source of gravity produces the ultimate red-shift. Light's frequency inside the event horizon is stretched to zero.


This post has been edited by IM Egdall: 12 November 2011 - 08:21 PM

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#6 morgsboi 


Atom

View Postgranpa, on 12 November 2011 - 11:33 AM, said:

light may or may not be affected by gravity but it is certainly affected by gravitational time dilation.

time stops completely at the event horizon.


You say time stops, I don't quite understand how time itself stops. Otherwise the black hole wouldn't be doing anything within the event horizon.

View Postquestionposter, on 12 November 2011 - 01:56 AM, said:

Light is not matter, it has no mass, it's primary composition is just energy, and energy is another form of matter and vice versa. Both are effected by the fabric of space and they both effect the fabric of space. Light can't escape from a black hole simply because the gravity of a black hole is too powerful, it creates a gravitational well so steep not even light has enough speed to escape it.

As far as scientists can tell, nothing comes back from the event horizon except perhaps whatever the result is of black hole evaporation. Once light passes the event horizon, it doesn't come out. Black holes don't emit optical photons, so they are the color of black.

But how can even the most extreme gravity affect something that has no mass?
And according to Professor Stephen Hawking, even a black hole is not truly black so it must emit something.
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#7 IM Egdall 


Molecule

 morgsboi, on 13 November 2011 - 11:45 PM, said:

You say time stops, I don't quite understand how time itself stops. Otherwise the black hole wouldn't be doing anything within the event horizon.




Its relative. Time stops at the event horizon of a black hole as seen from far away. For an obserer passing through the event horizon, his/her time is running normally.
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#8 Mystery111 


Atom
The simple reason can be explained in a simple way.

You require energy to leave the earths atsmosphere. This is because gravity is pulling your object (the mass of the earth) from your located origin. What if that mass became so dense that the radial force required to leave your origin became that of the speed of light?

Simply, a particle of light cannot escape something when the escape velocity exceeds the speed of light.
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#9 granpa 


Atom

 Mystery111, on 14 November 2011 - 02:10 PM, said:

What if that mass became so dense that the radial force required to leave your origin became that of the speed of light?

Simply, a particle of light cannot escape something when the escape velocity exceeds the speed of light.


teh force of gravity at the event horizon is not infinite.

This post has been edited by granpa: 14 November 2011 - 02:29 PM

In relativity, reality doesnt change just because you change velocity. Only your perspective on that reality changes.
If event A causes event B then it will do so for all observers.
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#10 Mystery111 


Atom

 granpa, on 14 November 2011 - 02:25 PM, said:

teh force of gravity at the event horizon is not infinite.


I nev'r said it was... is this a reply to someone else?

People need to qoute. It is hard to keep track :)
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#11 granpa 


Atom
whether you said it or not people could get that impression from what you said.

I thought it was obvious who I was responding to

This post has been edited by granpa: 14 November 2011 - 02:30 PM

In relativity, reality doesnt change just because you change velocity. Only your perspective on that reality changes.
If event A causes event B then it will do so for all observers.
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#12 Mystery111 


Atom
Then explain more clearer please. I responded to his question in two or three lines and I was much more clearer. How did my reply warrent yours. Please explain, before I get my crystal ball out :)
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#13 imatfaal 


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Primate
It is clear that it is not necessary for gravity to be infinite in order for the escape velocity to be greater than the speed of light (and I don't recall seeing mystery implying that it was)

 v_{escape} = \sqrt{\frac{2GM}{r}}

it is quite simple to sub in the speed of light for escape velocity - re-arrange and get the Schwarzchild radius; that radius for a mass from which the escape velocity is c

 r_{schwarzchild} = \frac{2GM}{c^2}
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there shallow draughts intoxicate the brain, and drinking largely sobers us again.

- Alexander Pope
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#14 granpa 


Atom
pardon me but I believe that your first equation is the equation for nonrelativistic escape velocity

obviously if the velocity is near the speed of light then you would need to use a relativistic equation.

This post has been edited by granpa: 14 November 2011 - 03:07 PM

In relativity, reality doesnt change just because you change velocity. Only your perspective on that reality changes.
If event A causes event B then it will do so for all observers.
0

#15 Mystery111 


Atom

 imatfaal, on 14 November 2011 - 02:52 PM, said:

It is clear that it is not necessary for gravity to be infinite in order for the escape velocity to be greater than the speed of light (and I don't recall seeing mystery implying that it was)

 v_{escape} = \sqrt{\frac{2GM}{r}}

it is quite simple to sub in the speed of light for escape velocity - re-arrange and get the Schwarzchild radius; that radius for a mass from which the escape velocity is c

 r_{schwarzchild} = \frac{2GM}{c^2}

Agreed.

It doesn't matter if it is non-relativistic. Nothing in a black hole can be infinite apart from controversially the singular region of spacetime.
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#16 granpa 


Atom
you can use the wrong equation if you want to but I dont see how you can prove anything with it.

we know that the actual escape velocity at the event horizon would be less than c due to relativistic effects.

This post has been edited by granpa: 14 November 2011 - 03:14 PM

In relativity, reality doesnt change just because you change velocity. Only your perspective on that reality changes.
If event A causes event B then it will do so for all observers.
0

#17 Mystery111 


Atom

 granpa, on 14 November 2011 - 03:13 PM, said:

you can use the wrong equation if you want to but I dont see how you can prove anything with it.

we know that the actual escape velocity at the event horizon would be less than c due to relativistic effects.


It don't need to prove anything. From your original statement, I know fine well this is not what is implied. Please, read what you said again, in response to mine. We will see who is pulling things from the aether.
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#18 imatfaal 


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Primate

 granpa, on 14 November 2011 - 03:13 PM, said:

you can use the wrong equation if you want to but I dont see how you can prove anything with it.

we know that the actual escape velocity at the event horizon would be less than c due to relativistic effects.


Feel free to provide the correct one - it might also be nice for you to show how the correct solution pops out.

Quote

The Schwarzschild radius can be calculated using the equation for escape speed:
vesc = (2GM/R)1/2
For photons, or objects with no mass, we can substitute c (the speed of light) for Vesc and find the Schwarzschild radius, R, to be
R = 2GM/c2

http://imagine.gsfc....black_holes.htm - so it is a common explanationand which might be lacking in subtlety but it is pretty good.

This post has been edited by imatfaal: 14 November 2011 - 03:26 PM

A little learning is a dangerous thing; drink deep, or taste not the Pierian spring:
there shallow draughts intoxicate the brain, and drinking largely sobers us again.

- Alexander Pope
feel free to click the green [+] ---->
0

#19 granpa 


Atom

 Mystery111, on 14 November 2011 - 03:16 PM, said:

It don't need to prove anything. From your original statement, I know fine well this is not what is implied. Please, read what you said again, in response to mine. We will see who is pulling things from the aether.


you were trying to prove that an object cant escape from the event horizon.

 imatfaal, on 14 November 2011 - 03:25 PM, said:

Feel free to provide the correct one - it might also be nice for you to show how the correct solution pops out.


the correct solution is, as I said before, that gravitational time dilation causes time to stop at the event horizon.
In relativity, reality doesnt change just because you change velocity. Only your perspective on that reality changes.
If event A causes event B then it will do so for all observers.
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#20 Mystery111 


Atom

 granpa, on 14 November 2011 - 03:32 PM, said:

you were trying to prove that an object cant escape from the event horizon.



the correct solution is, as I said before, that gravitational time dilation causes time to stop at the event horizon.


give it a velocity larger than ''c'' and it will. Otherwise, it won't.
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