Earth and Space

Einstein on black holes

Stories from Physics for 11-14 14-16 IOP RESOURCES

Einstein disliked the notion of singularities (points of infinite gravitational field strength at the core of black holes) and argued that future models might do away with the need for the construct. In a paper in Annals of Mathematics in 1939, he concluded that: “The essential result of this investigation is a clear understanding as to why the ‘Schwarzschild singularities’ do not exist in physical reality.” Einstein’s intuition has not (yet) been proven right.

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