Editing Curved spacetime (section)

{{short description|Mathematical theory of the geometry of space and time}}
{{broader|Spacetime|General relativity}}
{{Spacetime|cTopic=Types}}
In physics, '''curved spacetime''' is the mathematical model in which, with [[Einstein]]'s [[theory of general relativity]], gravity naturally arises, as opposed to being described as a fundamental [[force]] in [[Isaac Newton|Newton's]] static Euclidean [[reference frame]]. Objects move along [[Geodesics in general relativity|geodesic]]s—curved paths determined by the local geometry of spacetime—rather than being influenced directly by distant bodies. This framework led to two fundamental principles: coordinate independence, which asserts that the laws of physics are the same regardless of the coordinate system used, and the equivalence principle, which states that the effects of gravity are indistinguishable from those of acceleration in sufficiently small regions of space. These principles laid the groundwork for a deeper understanding of gravity through the geometry of spacetime, as formalized in Einstein's field equations.