Question: can gravity bendspace and if so how

Alice Harpole answered on 10 Mar 2016:

Einstein’s theory of general relativity says that any object with mass bends spacetime. This bending of spacetime is what causes the effect we call gravity (i.e. objects with mass being attracted to each other). The more compact (or more dense) an object is, the more it will bend spacetime. So while an apple will bend spacetime, it’s not very compact and so it will bend it so little you don’t notice. A black hole, on the other hand, is extremely compact, and so bends spacetime so much that if anything – even light – gets too close, it will never be able to escape again!

A rough analogy of spacetime bending is a bowling ball on a trampoline. The bowling ball causes the surface of the trampoline to bend around it, like how a mass bends spacetime. If you roll a small object on the surface of the trampoline near the bowling ball, it will roll towards it, just as small masses will be attracted to larger ones. A heavier bowling ball will bend the trampoline more, just as a more massive object will bend spacetime more.