ERIC Number: EJ1168988
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2018-Mar
Pages: 9
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0031-9120
EISSN: N/A
Why Do Things Fall? How to Explain Why Gravity Is Not a Force
Stannard, Warren B.
Physics Education, v53 n2 Article 025007 Mar 2018
In most high school physics classes, gravity is described as an attractive force between two masses as formulated by Newton over 300 years ago. Einstein's general theory of relativity implies that gravitational effects are instead the result of a "curvature" of space-time. However, explaining why things fall without resorting to Newton's gravitational force can be difficult. This paper introduces some simple graphical and visual analogies and models which are suitable for the introduction of Einstein's theory of general relativity at a high school level. These models provide an alternative to Newton's gravitational force and help answer the simple question: why do things fall?
Descriptors: Physics, Scientific Concepts, Motion, Kinetics, High School Students, Teaching Methods, Scientific Principles
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Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Descriptive
Education Level: High Schools
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A