● Gravitational waves are produced when a source of gravity changes in some
regular manner, and are detected by a distant observer.
PAGE 2
● Irregular changes in a mass will produce gravitational waves, but these will be a
mixture of many different gravitational waves with differing frequencies.
PAGE 3
● Einstein first predicted gravitational waves in 1918, but later had doubts about
their reality. However, he did predict that gravitational waves would have
properties different from those of light and sound waves, thus providing another
test for General Relativity.
PAGE 4
● Newton's instantaneous action-at-a-distance physics does not allow for
gravitational waves to exist between objects, but later others went beyond
Newton's mild scepticism and suggested that gravity travels at a velocity greater
than that of light but less than instantaneously.
PAGE 5
● In electromagnetism, positive and negative charges can exist separated by a
smallish distance. When a proton and an electron move towards each other
under their mutually attractive electromagnetic forces, electromagnetic radiation
is emitted.
● Einstein was sceptical about Poincaré's work and the possibility of dipole
gravitational waves, but gravitational waves do still manage to be produced.
Gravitational Waves After Einstein
● After Einstein's death, Hermann Bondi was still saying that energy-carrying
gravitational waves might not exist, but shortly after, Felix Pirani and Ivor
Robinson found a class of solutions to Einstein's field equations which predicted
the existence of plane gravitational waves.
PAGE 6
regular manner, and are detected by a distant observer.
PAGE 2
● Irregular changes in a mass will produce gravitational waves, but these will be a
mixture of many different gravitational waves with differing frequencies.
PAGE 3
● Einstein first predicted gravitational waves in 1918, but later had doubts about
their reality. However, he did predict that gravitational waves would have
properties different from those of light and sound waves, thus providing another
test for General Relativity.
PAGE 4
● Newton's instantaneous action-at-a-distance physics does not allow for
gravitational waves to exist between objects, but later others went beyond
Newton's mild scepticism and suggested that gravity travels at a velocity greater
than that of light but less than instantaneously.
PAGE 5
● In electromagnetism, positive and negative charges can exist separated by a
smallish distance. When a proton and an electron move towards each other
under their mutually attractive electromagnetic forces, electromagnetic radiation
is emitted.
● Einstein was sceptical about Poincaré's work and the possibility of dipole
gravitational waves, but gravitational waves do still manage to be produced.
Gravitational Waves After Einstein
● After Einstein's death, Hermann Bondi was still saying that energy-carrying
gravitational waves might not exist, but shortly after, Felix Pirani and Ivor
Robinson found a class of solutions to Einstein's field equations which predicted
the existence of plane gravitational waves.
PAGE 6
