Gravity Simulator

Illustrates how masses bend spacetime.

To illustrate the idea of a gravity well Basic Concepts

1. Attach the legs to the frame 2. Clip the cloth onto one side of the frame, and then the opposite, and then go around until all clips are evenly placed, with approximately equal tension on all clips. 3. Attach the foam pieces all along the side 4. Place the largest ball in the middle 5. Roll the balls along the well to show the different paths and object can take depending on its velocity.

Bonus: Use the ramp and the “lens” labeled hubble to illustrate gravitational lensing by rolling a mass down the ramp through the well at different angles to see which make it into the “lens”

For more information about gravitational lensing: http://astro.berkeley.edu/~jcohn/lens.html

Last Updated: Jan 18th, 2016