Empire Introducing: The Rest Is Science
Dec 12, 2025
Dive into the bizarre world of science as gravity gets a playful rethink. Explore how even a falling pen pulls on the Earth, challenging our notions of attraction. Discover the surprising influence of local masses over distant constellations in astrology. Wonder at Einstein's revolutionary take on gravity and its effect on time itself, with tangible examples that leave you questioning reality. This discussion reshapes familiar concepts into mind-bending ideas that illustrate just how strange our universe can be.
AI Snips
Chapters
Transcript
Episode notes
Gravity As Mutual Attraction
- Gravity is simply that objects with mass attract each other, not just Earth pulling things down.
- Even small objects pull the Earth minutely, so attraction is mutual and universal.
Baseballs Will Slowly Meet In Space
- Michael Stevens recounts calculating two baseballs in space would collide in three days from mutual gravity.
- He also notes everyday gravitational pulls between people are present but masked by friction and air.
From Forces To Curved Spacetime
- Newton described gravity as a force causing acceleration, but left how the force acted unexplained.
- This gap led to questioning and ultimately Einstein's geometric view of curved spacetime.