| Date | May 2013 | Marks available | 3 | Reference code | 13M.3.HL.TZ1.17 |
| Level | Higher level | Paper | Paper 3 | Time zone | Time zone 1 |
| Command term | Explain | Question number | 17 | Adapted from | N/A |
Question
This question is about spacetime.
Explain, with reference to the warping of spacetime, the gravitational attraction between Earth and the Sun.
Markscheme
spacetime is warped by matter;
moving objects follow the shortest path/metric/geodesic between two points in spacetime;
the shortest path for Earth is a (closed) curve around Sun (this is what we call gravitational attraction);
Examiners report
A few candidates gave very good answers. Most candidates gained the first marking point by referring to mass distorting/warping spacetime, but then there were many vague descriptions of the Earth “falling into the well” of the Sun rather than the Earth following a geodesic through spacetime.
Syllabus sections
Option A: Relativity » Option A: Relativity (Additional higher level option topics) » A.5 – General relativity (HL only)
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