| | gravity wave - a Whatis.com definition (Site not responding. Last check: 2007-11-06) |
 | | A gravity wave (or gravitational wave) is a ripple in the curvature of the space-time continuum (the enmeshed combination of our three perceived physical dimensions, plus time) created by the movement of matter. |
 | | Long thought to exist, although never yet detected, gravity waves were first hypothesized in Albert Einstein's general theory of relativity, which predicted that an accelerating mass would radiate gravitational waves as it lost energy. |
 | | If a gravitational wave were to pass through, the distance between the weights (which is measured by a laser beam moving back and forth between the mirrors and then recombined at a photodetector) would be altered. |
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