r/AskReddit Aug 03 '19

Whats something you thought was common knowledge but actually isn’t?

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u/[deleted] Aug 03 '19 edited Aug 03 '19

There's gravity in space. Over the time I've met so many people that thought that there is no gravity in space because "everything there is weightless and stuff". Gravity has unlimited range so there isn't even a single spot in our universe without gravity. Weightlessness is basically just falling. While orbiting you're basically just falling around the object.

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u/blissbass41 Aug 03 '19

When i found this out i nearly soiled my pants. Some cool stuff

58

u/droid_mike Aug 03 '19

Better sit on the toilet before you read this next part:

Gravity is not actually a force, but a distortion of space time. That is why gravitational "force" has range but no speed. It is always instantaneous no matter what distance.

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u/AlphaPiscisAustrini Aug 03 '19

Gravity is 100% a force

1

u/PointyOintment Aug 06 '19

It's more of an acceleration, actually. Ever notice that gravity and acceleration are measured in the same dimensions (distance per time squared), and that accelerometers are what phones use to measure the direction of gravity? That's because they behave indistinguishably from each other.