Can We Surf Gravitational Waves From Black Holes Collisions? (No)

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Hello and welcome! My name is Anton and in this video, we will talk about a curious question: can you actually surf the gravitational waves created by black hole collision?
Links:
#blackhole #gravitationalwaves #physics

0:00 Intro to Surfing Gravitational Waves
1:05 Surfing Depends on Media Interaction
2:20 Shapes of Waves and Their Effects
3:15 Speed of Waves Matters
3:40 Gravity and Buoyancy
4:22 Strength of Gravity VS Electromagnetism
6:45 Possible Exception to the Rules
8:08 Future Studies and Observations
8:40 Conclusion

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I just need to share that the thumbnail image of Einstein surfing in space is one of the most wonderful images I've seen in a while.
Keep spreading your passion for science, dude. Love ya.

Synathidy
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Omg guys, this was my
This was back when Anton and Fraser Cain did a live stream together, and it's still up on YouTube if you want to see it.

I love it, you made my day 😃

realzachfluke
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You have made my evening again, Anton. The whole idea of surfing on gravity waves is exciting, even if it is impossible! Thanks for this flight of imagination!

stevenkarnisky
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First of all, Anton, thank you for all the amazing content!  

Now about surfing. Surfing (in water) has one prerequisite: that the surfboard is planing. That means that the surfboard (or any vessel for that matter) is going faster than the waves it generates. Basically the waves cannot get out of the way fast enough for the vessel to move through the water. The effect is that the vessel floats on top of its own waves decreasing drag significantly. Hydrodynamics in the case of planing are completely different when compared to when the vessel is not planing.

Parenthesis: At non-planing speeds, tilting the board left, for example, has the effect of the board turning right due to the Bernoulli effect (at the low left side of the board water is pushed down which makes it move faster and this pushes that side faster than the high side, which makes the board turn right). At planing speeds, what you would expect happens: tilting the board left turns the board left (in this case the lower left side pushes the wave sideways to the right - since it can't move faster in the direction of movement because you're already moving faster than the wave - which creates more pressure on the high side and turns the board left). All this is easier to observe while windsurfing, since you have the sail to keep you steady. With a normal surfboard at non-planing speeds you'll just fall off the board because you have nothing to hold on to.

I am not sure how comparable it is, but the effect is similar to an airplane going faster than the speed of sound: The air cannot get out of the way fast enough, and that creates shock waves. Similarly, aerodynamic at speeds greater than mach 1 are completely different when compared to subsonic flight.

Extending that to *any* wave that is traveling at the speed of light would means that in order to "surf" it, your vessel would have to be going faster than the speed of light. That would be the equivalent of a surfboard surfing down a wave faster than the speed of a wave, which coincidentally has to happen when you are surfing at an angle to the direction of the wave. So, yes, I agree with you, I don't think it's possible to surf a gravitational wave, well, unless one finds a way to travel faster than c. It's a fun thought experiment, though! 🙂

gk
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Thanks, Anton. i've been writing a sci-fi story where the protagonists are using shockwaves from a much more common event (supernova Types 1, 1A, and so forth) to assist propulsion in their adventures from place to place. this story is then going to be the conceptual basis for an album i'm writing concurrently: The Novasurfers!!
thank you for the work you do, for us. gratitude.

TheAmazingSnarf
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The boys and I have come to the conclusion that Anton is a content savant. Almost every day he uploads these comprehensive videos.

Slambonik
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Anton - very interesting and well explained. But I must say, that cover image to this video - Einstein surfing gravitational waves with an expression of sheer glee -- made my day! Can you make a Wonderful Person T-shirt with that image? Please!!

cvmcmanus
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Fur sure, dude. Right on. Far out. Outta sight, man. I'm totally digging the surfing the waves concept. And none of those negative waves. Only thinking positive waves. Hangin Ten around our own Milky Way's massive black hole, (Sag A?) with my surfer girls is what it's all about, man! Thinking about catching a black hole tsunami over to Andromeda using the Star Trek Warp drive to go faster than speed of light to find me some tasty new waves and maybe chill out with some of those super hot green chic's. Right arm! Farm out! Outta state! Thanks again Mr. Petrov. Love your shows. The best.👍👍

jims
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Wonderful as always anton. Thank you. 😊

jimcurtis
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Thank you Anton, you are light in my life, I watch you constantly for couple of years and it’s maybe the coolest video preview I yet saw

Flight
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YES! You answered my question especially the next video coming up. I've asked every space science Ytuber. You will always be best of em

erikreddington
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Just got done watching your last video and refreshed because I know you upload on my commute home, THANKS ANTON

jameseff
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If YouTube had a thumbnail award for science, Anton wins it with this one.

CaliforniaBushman
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"Can we surf gravitational waves?"
Anton: "Not really... Maybe... It's classified!"

stynkus
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The hard part may not be surfing the gravity wave. It is likely to be getting the jetski up to speed to provide the tow-in.

ianb
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I asked chatgpt and it said:

No, it is not possible to surf gravitational waves caused by black holes or other large objects. Gravitational waves are ripples in the fabric of spacetime that are caused by the acceleration of massive objects, such as merging black holes. They are incredibly weak and difficult to detect, and they do not provide a medium for surfing. In fact, they pass right through matter, including the Earth, without interacting with it in any noticeable way. The effects of gravitational waves are only detectable by observing the very subtle changes they cause in the distances between massive objects. So while they are fascinating phenomena to study, they cannot be surfed in the sense that we think of surfing waves in the ocean.

egglion
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Hello wonderful Anton! I love the thumbnail for this video! Thank you for keeping the world educated.

Gryffyth_Aurum
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Reminds me of something that happened in Treasure Planet, although I can't remember if they surfed the blast from a star going supernova or the gravitational waves of the forming black hole shortly after the explosion. My memory is a bit fuzzy since it's been a while since I saw the movie.

darkbooger
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Its amazing that Anton can still pump out Original Content like this! Still awaiting the lack in video quality since Family Trip... Thanks Anton :D

peterdore
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Anton - your analogy about a buoy floating in the sea/ocean is an imperfect 1. Sure, a moored buoy will stay put, & an unmoored buoy will only be moved by the prevailing current, but that doesn't mean that useful directional movement can't be achieved by harnessing wave energy out in open water.

I don't remember all the details, but IIRC it involves a surface vehicle, with some kind of hinged hydrofoil below the surface ... & then due to a combination of the whole thing moving up & down & the water moving over the hinged hydrofoil you end up with forward momentum. This is far from a perfect description, but it's already been proven to work on some kind of autonomous sea drone that collected scientific data.

To make use of this to ride gravity waves would require not just a means of "catching" the gravity wave, but also some kind of mechanism to take the place of the hinged hydrofoil component - something that could interact with the fabric of spacetime itself. Hmm.... actually, now that I think of it, you'd need the same type of tech in both parts/ends of the vehicle - 1 to interact with area of spacetime being directly deformed by the gravity wave, & the other interacting with nearby "still" spacetime, & deriving movement from the difference between the 2. No idea if that's even remotely possible, I just think that's what it would take.

justsomeguywashwd_jbm