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I am beginning to study general relativity and one of the preconceptions that I have is that massive objects will warp space in a similar way to that described by the photo below

enter image description here

However my understanding is that massive objects in fact warp spacetime and that in a time and spatial coordinate system straight lines might not be straight due to the presence of massive objects.

Does this imply the warping of space as above? And if not, how can you explain the bending of light around massive objects?

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Matthew
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    You may find these helpful: https://physics.stackexchange.com/q/90592/ and https://physics.stackexchange.com/q/26440/ – PNS May 27 '20 at 13:49
  • @PNS thanks, I couldn't find those but that is what I'm looking for. – Matthew May 27 '20 at 13:57

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Analogies are always misleading.

If there was an easier, equivalent way to understand General Relativity, we would simply acknowledge this new way as a part of the mathematics of General Relativity.

That being said, analogies can sometimes be useful to keep in mind while doing calculations. It may help you get through calculations, psychologically. But they should never be taken seriously.

Prof. Legolasov
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