According to what I learn in school is that the smaller the planet (or the moons that orbit them), the lighter their gravity is. The bigger the planet is (like Jupiter) the heavier the gravity it is.
The gravity wells of planets and moons will also bend light. It’s just that the effect is so small at that level that we can’t observe it, yet (so far as I’m aware). But such bending is equally predicted by theory.
We are already at the point where time dilation (also predicted) can be measured with regard to spacecraft orbiting the Earth. So the bending of light in the same gravity well should also be happening.
It’s just that the spammers are out early today so gone early. Yesterday they started about noon after most of you were off line. I was late getting to the comics and flagged one just one minute after it posted.
It was described to me as,”Book Smart vs. Street Smart”. My son and his friends are the, “Book Smart” crowd and they’re brillant but put them in a day to day decision making situation and they’re lost .
Calvin ‘put the squeeze on Mom’. Mom should ‘mop the floor with Calvin’!
When life gives you lemonade, what then? Lemon oils are used in floor polish. Mop the whole floor with the lemonade, or is that squeezing too much out of it?
Okay, I think I’ll ‘peel’ out of here now!
Gretchensmom, it was one of those pitchers that bounced! Plus if you are mopping the floor wouldn’t you just mop the whole thing? I don’t know I’ve never been a mom!
While skating along with the pitcher of lemonade, Calvin’s center of gravity changed suddenly producing an intense look of gravitas on his mother’s face….
Ah, all of the wordplay is making me a “grave” person, much like Mercucio…grave, gravity, gravitas…isn’t that the Latin for bad punning? Hope your day isn’t soured by all the spilt lemonade!
I don’t know–we always got first dibs on cleaning up our messes. We learned how to wield a mop, anyway.
And, yes, any mass–even one as small as an electron–curves space-time ever so slightly. It’s not very measurable, however, on less than planetary scales–and the larger the better. IIRC, two masses of lead the size of a house (or a moderate skyscraper) would take millennia to move together over a foot solely under the attraction of their mutual gravity. But it takes under a second for the Earth to fall back to my feet when I push it away by jumping.
LeslieAnne: You’re absolutely right. If I have to haul out the mop and bucket to clean up a mess in one area I might as well just do the whole thing while I’m at it!
OK guys and gals… if ALL mass has gravity and therefore ALL mass exerts a force and the third Law of Newton states that for every force there is an equal but opposite reaction force such as I am attracting the Earth equally as much as it attracts me then what is the reaction force of star on light if light is not matter hence no gravity?
Light does have mass–the rest mass of a photon may be zero, but it moves, and has energy, which can be calculated for each wavelength of photon. Hence, it is affected by gravitational fields, according to Relativity. Therefore, one early, famous test was to photograph the sky during a total solar eclipse and check to see how much the star images near the sun moved–because the light was traveling in a hyperbola rather than in a (virtually) straight line to us.
Also: that’s how a Black hole event horizon is defined: it’s the point at which escape velocity is higher than the speed of light, so that even light is pulled into the hole by the gravity.
margueritem over 14 years ago
I thought he slipped that little item in quite skillfully.
SWEETBILL over 14 years ago
HE’s a slippery little tike
GM everyone
MontanaLady over 14 years ago
Oh, By the way…..Mom, you need to clean up on aisle 7
moronbis over 14 years ago
Calvin understands the gravity of the statement- Light is actually deflected by gravity. He is just acting dumb.
painterplumber over 14 years ago
Ha Ha. Good ones. You guys are sharp this morning.
Just as much fun reading your comments!
Bittermelon of Truth over 14 years ago
Two corrections, Calvin… not so much planets but more massive stuff like galaxies and stars.
I’m surprised he knows so much about Einstein’s relativity theory http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gravitational_lens
(as opposed to, say the relative importance of not telling Mom immediately about his accident) :-P
paha_siga over 14 years ago
Well, he didn’t tell IMMEDIATELY! ;) He started by impressing her with his knowledge on gravity.
Lyons Group, Inc. over 14 years ago
According to what I learn in school is that the smaller the planet (or the moons that orbit them), the lighter their gravity is. The bigger the planet is (like Jupiter) the heavier the gravity it is.
GROG Premium Member over 14 years ago
And why were you wearing roller skates in the house, Calvin?
Sandfan over 14 years ago
Calvin fails to understand the gravity of his situation.
@Josh 1360: Think mass, not size. Small objects [dwarf stars] can have enormous gravitational fields.
rshive over 14 years ago
It’s a gift Mom.
lewisbower over 14 years ago
Calvin’s dumb Mom? Who’s working the mop?
emi.andrade over 14 years ago
There should be a button “report spam” here..
Rakkav over 14 years ago
The gravity wells of planets and moons will also bend light. It’s just that the effect is so small at that level that we can’t observe it, yet (so far as I’m aware). But such bending is equally predicted by theory.
We are already at the point where time dilation (also predicted) can be measured with regard to spacecraft orbiting the Earth. So the bending of light in the same gravity well should also be happening.
Rakkav over 14 years ago
(P.S. to Mom: Intelligence and knowledge on the one hand and wisdom on the other are two different things!)
rgcviper over 14 years ago
Pouring lemonade while wearing roller skates? That just cannot turn out well, no matter what …
abesnake over 14 years ago
moronbis, Light is actually affected by the Dark Sucker Theory http://www.ultimatecampresource.com/site/camp-activity/the-dark-sucker-theory.html
COWBOY7 over 14 years ago
I hope he didn’t mess up his skates!
G’Morning, Mike, Marg & Grog!
Emilia Andrade - - By “clicking” on the word flag under the comment, you are reporting the post to Gocomics.
RinaFarina over 14 years ago
Intelligence, knowledge, and wisdom are three different things!
RinaFarina over 14 years ago
It gives me great pleasure to say that I don’t see any spam right now…
Hoomi over 14 years ago
It’s certain Calvin doesn’t read “The Family Circus,” or else he would have said that Notme or Idaknow had actually spilled the lemonade.
Rakkav over 14 years ago
I was wondering if someone would catch that, RinaFarina… :)
Count it as being too tired to think on the one hand and too lazy to change the error on the other.
kab2rb over 14 years ago
Some strips are heavy with spam. Calvin you must be paying attention to class to talk about matter.
Mythreesons over 14 years ago
It’s just that the spammers are out early today so gone early. Yesterday they started about noon after most of you were off line. I was late getting to the comics and flagged one just one minute after it posted.
George Arnold over 14 years ago
I agree Lewreader!
Dino-1 over 14 years ago
It was described to me as,”Book Smart vs. Street Smart”. My son and his friends are the, “Book Smart” crowd and they’re brillant but put them in a day to day decision making situation and they’re lost .
Puddleglum2 over 14 years ago
Calvin ‘put the squeeze on Mom’. Mom should ‘mop the floor with Calvin’! When life gives you lemonade, what then? Lemon oils are used in floor polish. Mop the whole floor with the lemonade, or is that squeezing too much out of it? Okay, I think I’ll ‘peel’ out of here now!
Sysiphus over 14 years ago
“GrogGenius_badge said, about 6 hours ago
And why were you wearing roller skates in the house, Calvin?”
He must have been trying to “roll toward the dip” when he slipped.
ratlum over 14 years ago
Yes I wonder,how can he be so smart. Is that true about gravity and light ?
coffeeturtle over 14 years ago
It is true ratlum, and his analogy was dead-on. Bill Watterson must have been pretty interested in science. ;-)
tmick2001 over 14 years ago
Calvin is probably self-taught when it comes to science and doesn’t pay attention to subjects he has no interest in (like myself).
Iwa Iniki over 14 years ago
Clever Calvin. Where is Hobbes today?
Gretchen's Mom over 14 years ago
Calvin’s the gift to his parents that just keeps on giving!
dahawk over 14 years ago
Yet, those posting about the spam take up more space than the spam did in the first place. Please just flag and move on!
Gretchen's Mom over 14 years ago
Based on the size of that lemonade puddle on the floor, just how big was that pitcher anyhow?!?!?
LeslieAnne over 14 years ago
Gretchensmom, it was one of those pitchers that bounced! Plus if you are mopping the floor wouldn’t you just mop the whole thing? I don’t know I’ve never been a mom!
khpage over 14 years ago
While skating along with the pitcher of lemonade, Calvin’s center of gravity changed suddenly producing an intense look of gravitas on his mother’s face….
larney45 over 14 years ago
Ah, all of the wordplay is making me a “grave” person, much like Mercucio…grave, gravity, gravitas…isn’t that the Latin for bad punning? Hope your day isn’t soured by all the spilt lemonade!
bmonk over 14 years ago
I don’t know–we always got first dibs on cleaning up our messes. We learned how to wield a mop, anyway.
And, yes, any mass–even one as small as an electron–curves space-time ever so slightly. It’s not very measurable, however, on less than planetary scales–and the larger the better. IIRC, two masses of lead the size of a house (or a moderate skyscraper) would take millennia to move together over a foot solely under the attraction of their mutual gravity. But it takes under a second for the Earth to fall back to my feet when I push it away by jumping.
Trisha_Evenstar over 14 years ago
Book sense vs Common sense? lol
carless over 14 years ago
That theory didn’t work well with my wife after I spilled my coffee today either.
Gretchen's Mom over 14 years ago
LeslieAnne: You’re absolutely right. If I have to haul out the mop and bucket to clean up a mess in one area I might as well just do the whole thing while I’m at it!
JTGAM over 14 years ago
OK guys and gals… if ALL mass has gravity and therefore ALL mass exerts a force and the third Law of Newton states that for every force there is an equal but opposite reaction force such as I am attracting the Earth equally as much as it attracts me then what is the reaction force of star on light if light is not matter hence no gravity?
bmonk over 14 years ago
Light does have mass–the rest mass of a photon may be zero, but it moves, and has energy, which can be calculated for each wavelength of photon. Hence, it is affected by gravitational fields, according to Relativity. Therefore, one early, famous test was to photograph the sky during a total solar eclipse and check to see how much the star images near the sun moved–because the light was traveling in a hyperbola rather than in a (virtually) straight line to us.
Also: that’s how a Black hole event horizon is defined: it’s the point at which escape velocity is higher than the speed of light, so that even light is pulled into the hole by the gravity.
calvinsfreind about 14 years ago
i know im calvins freind but i think calvin should clean up the mess