ACCOMPANYING MATERIAL ON THE FILM

INDEX
Introduction..............................................................3
Overview................................................................4
Plot..................................................................5
What is gravitation?.....................................................6
Gravitation Models.......................................................8
Gravitational waves...................................................11
The secret behind time...............................................15
Everything is realtive................................................18
Albert WHO?..............................................................20
Imprint......................................................................23

2 www.gravity-360.com Index
 EXPLORER GUIDE

INFORMATION ON THE CONTENT

Learning should be fun!

“Limbradur - The magic of gravitation” is a film which seeks to inform children, young
people and adults about the laws of nature and the discoveries of Albert Einstein as
well as his own philosophy of always remaining inquisitive, asking questions and
discovering the world for yourself.

Using the latest technological developments, we combine fascinating facts with an

emotional story, thus generating an enduring learning effect. The audience are tak-
en on an exciting voyage of discovery through space and time.

This accompanying material can be used before and after the film experience to
provide background information going beyond the aspects dwelt upon in the film. On
the following pages we have compiled further information and questions pertaining
to Albert Einstein, the general theory of relativity and the effects of gravitation on
our daily lives in a manner that is readily accessible for children and young people.
To supplement the text, we want to arouse inquiring minds and encourage them
to perform their own experiments by providing instructions and videos relating to
gravitation. These videos can be viewed as a continuous whole or individually on the
separate aspects.

Introduction www.gravity-360.com 3
 OVERVIEW

Duration: 45 minutes
Genre: Animation, family film, educational film
Written & directed by: Dr. Peter Popp
Format: 360°- Fulldome
Distributed by: REEF Distribution GmbH

Rating: 0 years - no age restrictions applicable

School classes: Classes 5 - 10
Recommended age: 8 years or older

4 www.gravity-360.com Overview
 PLOT

Why do things magically fall to the ground rather than floating in the air?

This is the very question that the young apprentice magician Limbradur asks. He
wants to find out all he can about this law of nature and the mysteries of the uni-
verse. So, one night, he uses his magic powers to sneak into the Albert Einstein
Museum. There, he encounters the small knowledge robot Alby and makes a deal
with him - Limbradur’s magic powers in return for Alby’s knowledge. Alby takes Lim-
bradur on an exciting journey through space and time, during which he explains the
principles underlying gravitation and Albert Einstein’s discoveries.

ZWEI FREUNDE AUF EINER REISE

DURCH RAUM UND ZEIT

www.reef-distribution.com

G. Fischer F. Geise

Index www.gravity-360.com 5
 ALL ABOUT GRAVITATION

WHAT IS GRAVITATION?

Gravitation comes from the Latin word “gravitas”, which roughly translates as “heav-
iness”. Gravitation means that two objects always attract each other wherever they
may be. The extent of this mutual attraction depends on their mass and their dis-
tance from each other. The closer they are, the more they attract each other and the
greater the mass, the greater the attraction will be. This means that larger objects
attract smaller ones.
On the earth, gravitation causes all objects to fall to the ground because the earth
has a greater mass than, say, a ball. If you throw a ball up into the air, it doesn’t fly
in a straight line but invariably falls to the ground.

6 www.gravity-360.com What is gravitation?

 SIDE INFORMATION: THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN MASS AND WEIGHT

Mass is a basic property of matter and a measure of the inertia of a

given object. This means that it is the description of how much effort
an object needs to change its speed - the greater the mass, the more
effort is needed. It is a fixed factor that should not be confused with
weight. Weight measures how much a body weighs under the effect
of gravity. A body always has the same mass, but whereas it may
weigh 50kg on the earth, it would weigh only 8kg on the moon and
nothing at all in space due to the absence of any gravity.

Incidentally, all objects fall to the ground at the same speed, no mat-
ter how heavy they are. At least if they are not subject to any drag
caused by the air.

What is gravitation? www.gravity-360.com 7

 DIFFERENT GRAVITATION MODELS

NEWTON AND THE FORCE MODEL

But where does gravitation come from and what is it precisely? There are two differ-
ent models for explaining gravitation.

Legend has it that in 1665 the physics student Isaac Newton was sitting under a tree
when an apple fell on his head. This prompted him to consider whether the earth
possesses some force that attracts the apple. He started to perform calculations,
developing Newton’s law of universal gravitation of classical physics. This rule says
that each mass has a gravitational force which attracts other masses.

m1 m2 F = force
m3
G = gravitational constant 6,673 ∙ 10−11
FG = G m = mass
kg ∙ s2
r2 r = distance

8 www.gravity-360.com The force model

 ALBERT EINSTEIN AND THE GENERAL THEORY OF RELATIVITY

Albert Einstein, on the other hand, explained the earth’s attraction in a completely
different way in his general theory of relativity, thus eliminating the inaccuracies that
Newton was unable to explain. In contrast to Isaac Newton’s classical model, gravi-
tation does not act like a force in a fixed structure in Einstein’s model. Einstein’s the-
ory says that mass and space are related in such a way that masses tell space how
much it has to bend and this curvature of space, in turn, tells masses how they are
to move in that they follow the curvature. This means that gravitation is actually due
to the curvature of space arising around a mass. The greater the mass, the greater
the curvature.

Sounds complicated, doesn’t it?

But it won’t be after you’ve tried
the following: Span a cloth, put
different weight balls in, and see
what happens.

General theory of relativity www.gravity-360.com 9

 SIDE INFORMATION: ECLIPSE OF THE SUN

Einstein had postulated that the sun with its large mass would change space,
causing the light from distant stars to be slightly deflected as it passed by
the sun. Normally, the light from the sun is far brighter than that of other
stars, meaning that this curvature cannot be detected. It is only during a solar
eclipse that the light around the sun is dimmed sufficiently for other stars to be
seen at the same time. In this way, the British astronomer Sir Arthur Eddington
was able to photograph the deflection of light during the 1919 solar eclipse.
He found that the apparent position of the stars around the sun had indeed
changed in exactly the way that had been predicted in Einstein’s general the-
ory of relativity.

10 www.gravity-360.com Eclipse of the sun

 GRAVITATIONAL WAVES -
THE SOUND OF THE UNIVERSE

When masses accelerate, they not only cause space to curve but also generate grav-
itational waves. Einstein described these waves back in 1916 on the basis of the
general theory of relativity. Everything that accelerates in the universe emits gravita-
tional waves that travel through space at the speed of light - much like a stone which
causes ripples when it is thrown into the water. Similarly, the earth constantly pro-
duces gravitational waves by orbiting around the sun. Theoretically, the apple falling
from the tree also creates ripples across space. However, as enormous quantities
of energy are required to bend spacetime, the effects are barely noticeable. This is
why it is so difficult to detect gravitational waves. It not only requires highly sensitive
equipment but also very strong gravitational waves.

Physicists have been trying

to detect gravitational waves for
years. On 14 September 2015,
they were measured for the first
time when two black holes
converged and the echo caused by this enormous eruption of energy was
captured by researchers. This discovery is considered to be a milestone in the
history of astronomy in the same league as events such as the lunar landing.
This is because it not only provides further proof of the theory of relativity but
now also allows invisible objects to be observed in the universe. In this way,
scientists hope to be able to learn more about the hitherto elusive dark matter
and explore further mysteries of the universe.

Gravitation waves www.gravity-360.com 11

 GRAVITY AND SPEED

In the solar system, gravitation determines the orbits of the planets, moons, comets
and satellites. As the sun is the celestial body with the greatest mass in our solar
system, it causes the strongest curvature of space, thus attracting the planets such
as the earth and Mars to it. But what differentiates this from the experiment with the
CLOTH? Why do the planets not fall into the sun like the balls?

This is because gravitational force is counteracted by another force which keeps the
planets in their orbits, namely centrifugal force or speed. If an object travels at a
sufficient speed, it is able to overcome the effects of gravitation. In this way, space
shuttles with their powerful thrusters are able to fly at exactly the speed at which
gravitation and centrifugal forces are in complete balance, allowing them to orbit the
earth. This is like a set of scales which are completely balanced.

12 www.gravity-360.com Speed
 IN WHAT WAYS ARE WE AFFECTED BY GRAVITATION?

If it were not for gravitation, we would not even exist as there would be no stars,
planets or moons. It was only through the effects of gravitation that it was possible
for planets - and hence also our own earth - to form from the clouds of gas over
billions of years. Without gravitation, our earth would have no atmosphere. The at-
mosphere supporting our earth which gives us the oxygen we need to breathe would
simply fly away. However, the earth’s gravity “captures” it, providing us with the ba-
sis for life. As well as this, gravitation makes the earth orbit around the sun, which is
also crucial for life. What is more, the moon orbiting the earth causes the tides as the
gravitational force which it generates attracts the water on the earth’s surface. So,
everything is connected with everything else. In addition, gravity pulls everything
to the earth’s centre, ensuring that it stays where it is supposed to. Otherwise, we
would be floating around in space like an astronaut.

Effect on us www.gravity-360.com 13
 Talking of which, why is it possible for astronauts to take such giant leaps on the
surface of the moon? Precisely because the moon has a smaller mass than the earth
and, because of this, weaker gravitation. Different conditions would apply on the
surface of Jupiter, which is far larger than the earth. What would that look like?

However, weight is not the only thing that astronauts must adjust to when they fly
into space. Our bodies are perfectly attuned to the earth’s gravity and are not ac-
customed to the effects of protracted travel through space. All our organs and mus-
cles work to overcome the effects of gravity. The heart pumps blood into the brain
against the pull of gravity. If there is no gravity, then our bodies and also our immune
systems don’t work as they should. That’s why many astronauts fall ill when they
first enter space, suffering from a loss of orientation, nausea and a severe decline in
muscle mass if they don’t move sufficiently and simply float around in space.

YOUR WEIGHT ON
DIFFERENT PLANETS

Your weight:

Mercury: 18.5 kg
Venus: 45 kg
Earth: 50 kg
Mars: 19 kg
Jupiter: 126.5 kg
Saturn: 53.5 kg
Uranus: 45.5 kg
Neptune: 57 kg

14 www.gravity-360.com Weight on different planets

 THE SECRET BEHIND TIME
As we have already seen, gravitation is caused by a change in space and influences
us in many different ways. But what makes it even more mysterious is that it also
influences time! According to Einstein, time is what we see on the clock. We have
previously mentioned Albert Einstein’s theory of relativity. Among other things, this
says that space and time form a single unit known as spacetime.

But what has gravitation got to do with time? Every mass bends space. But if space
and time are interconnected then this must surely mean that not only space but also
time is stretched and bent. This changes time. The greater the mass, the stronger
the gravitational effect, the greater the distortion and the slower time passes.

The secret behind time www.gravity-360.com 15

 Side information: MUSIC

The atmosphere, i.e. the air that surrounds us,

comprises tiny gas particles that are attracted
by the earth due to its mass. This air can be
caused to vibrate by different means and the
result of this is what we hear as music.

Side information: BLACK HOLES

Black holes are amongst the most mysterious and ex-

treme places in the entire universe. They are remnants
of stars that have exploded and collapsed into them-
selves. They have an enormous mass which simultane-
ously expands at a very low rate. Spacetime is extremely
curved as a result and the gravitational force becomes
so powerful that the black hole attracts and swallows
everything surrounding it. Even light. That’s why they
can never been seen directly, thus explaining why they
are called “black holes”. Time is also curved so heavily
in their vicinity that it effectively stands still.

16 www.gravity-360.com Black holes

 Side information: STARS

Some stars are in actual fact not where they appear to be because,
despite its speed (300,000km per second!), light takes millions of years
to reach us. So what we really see are galaxies which are billions of
years old and may no longer even still exist. To all intents and purpos-
es, we are looking into the past, at a time before any people even lived
on the earth.

Side information: ROTATION

The planets in our solar system arose

from a cloud of gas. Indeed, the plan-
ets still exhibit the original rotation of
this cloud.

Stars www.gravity-360.com 17
 EVERYTHING IS RELATIVE

Every mass - such as our earth - causes the flow of time to slow. That’s why time
moves at a different speed here than it does in the voids of outer space. If an as-
tronaut were to simply float over the earth, time would initially pass more quickly
for him than on the earth. However, most things in space move at a high speed.
This also applies to navigation satellites, for example, which, as we have already
explained, mostly orbit the earth at a certain speed to avoid being dragged down
by the earth’s gravity. An object travelling at a high speed experiences time more
slowly than someone on the earth. As these two effects - the slightly faster passage
of time as a result of gravitational effects on the one hand and the slightly slower
passage of time caused by speed - do not quite cancel each other out for the sat-
ellites. Consequently, the clocks fitted to them do not go at quite the same rate as
clocks on the earth. This difference must be corrected for the navigation satellites
to work correctly.

18 www.gravity-360.com Everything is relative

 Side information:
Sideinfo: GPS NAVIGATION SATELLITES

As gravitation weakens out in space, time passes a little more quick-

ly there than it does down on the earth’s surface. This minute time
difference is sufficient to put the GPS system out by a kilometre after
only a single day.
It is only with the assistance of the general theory of relativity that it
is possible to correct this time difference by adjusting the clocks on
board the navigation satellites.
If it were not for Albert Einstein, the GPS system would not work.

The fact that time passes more slowly for objects

travelling at a high speed can be explained by
Einstein’s special theory of relativity. It assumes
that the same laws of physics apply in every ref-
erence framework and that light travels at a con-
stant speed of 300,000 km/s. However, if the speed
of light is always the same, this means that time
and space must change. This is a very complex no-
tion, which we can only briefly touch on here. If you
would like to find out more, ask your teacher to tell
you about the special theory of relativity.

Navigation www.gravity-360.com 19
 ALBERT WHO?

Albert Einstein is truly one of the most famous scien-

tists ever. However, this is not only due to his fantas-
tic discoveries but also to his personality. Einstein was
not only super smart, but he was also a super cool
guy. There are a large number of detailed biographies
in book form as well as on the Internet. Here are a few
interesting facts about Albert and his life:

“Imagination is more important than knowledge because knowledge is limited!”

Albert was born in Ulm, Germany, on 14 March 1879, the son of Jewish parents.

Although he frequently demonstrated the powers of his mighty intellect lat-

er on, he didn’t actually learn to speak until he was 3 years old. In other re-
spects as well he was a late developer and had trouble remembering things.

He found school incredibly boring but ever since his father had given him a
compass at the age of 5 years, he developed a burning passion for science.

20 www.gravity-360.com Albert
 In 1905, Einstein placed the world of physics on its head. At the tender age
of only 26 years, he published the special theory of relativity and studies
on quantum physics studies, namely the photoelectric effect, for which
he ultimately received the Nobel Prize in 1921 - but not for the theory of
relativity.
Albert liked to go sailing although he had never learned to swim, and he
also played the violin. He especially loved the music of Mozart.

Einstein never wore socks as he was always annoyed by how quickly they
got holes in them.

Albert www.gravity-360.com 21
 “Learning is experience.
Everything else is only information.”

“It is important never to stop asking questions.”

After the marriage with his first wife Mileva Marie, he married his cousin
and had an illegitimate child.

In 1952, Einstein was asked whether he wanted to be president of Israel.

He rejected the request, explaining that he had no experience in dealing
with people. On his trip to America, he was named chieftain of an Indian
tribe.

Einstein was never actively involved in the construction of the atomic

bomb. However, his letter to the then US president Roosevelt and his
E=mc2 played a material role in its development. Einstein regretted this
and later became actively committed to world peace.

After his death in 1955, the US pathologist Thomas Harvey secretly re-
moved Einstein’s brain from his body, sending small samples of it to neu-
rological specialists to perform research into Einstein’s extraordinary intel-
ligence. Parts of them are in medical museums to this very day.

22 www.gravity-360.com Albert
 LITERATURE

Bürke, Thomas: E=mc2 Einführung in die allgemeine und spezielle Relativitätstheorie. Anakonda. 2015

Calaprice, Alice: Einstein sagt: Zitate, Einfälle, Gedanken. Piper 2015

Einstein, Albert: Über die spezielle und die allgemeine Relativitätstheorie. 24. Auflage. Springer Spektrum. 2009

Gilliland, Ben: How to Build a Universe. From the Big Bang to the End of the Universe. Cassell, 2015

Göbel, Holger: Gravitation und Relativität: Eine Einführung in die Allgemeine Relativitätstheorie. De Gruyter. 2014

Hawking, Stephen: Die illustrierte kurze Geschichte der Zeit. Rowohlt Taschenbuch Verlag, Hamburg 2013

Isaacson, Walter: Einstein. His Life and Universe. Simon&Schuster, New York 2007

Novelli, Lucas: Einstein und die Zeitmaschine. Arena Verlag GmbH, Würzburg 2005

Teichmann, Jürgen/Krapp, Thilo: Mit Einstein im Fahrstuhl. Physik genial erklärt. Arena Verlag GmbH, Würzburg 2013

ONLINE SOURCES

http://www.haus-der-kleinen-forscher.de/nc/de/praxisideen/experimente-versuche/astronomie/experiment/schwer-
kraft-auf-der-erde-und-anderen-planeten/

http://www.factslides.com/s-Einstein

http://www.spiegel.de/spiegel/print/d-142879038.html

http://www.weltderphysik.de/gebiet/astro/gravitationswellen/

IMPRINT

Edition:...............................................................................................................................................................Juni 2016
Published by:.................................................................................................................REEF Distribution GmbH, Munich
Design, editorial content, copy, videos:...........................................................................................................Nina Scholz
Explanatory graphics:......................................................................................................................................Mario Betz
Layout, design:.............................................................................................................................Christina Baumgartner
Images:....................................................................................................© REEF Distribution GmbH, All Rights Reserved
www.reef-distribution.com
Corbis Entertainment: BE001080, BE034861, NA014491 © Bettmann/ Corbis

This educational material may only be used in activities at schools and educational institutions. Any commercial trade,
sale or purchase is expressly prohibited and is subject to prosecution under criminal and civil law. The material may be
reproduced without restrictions for educational purposes.

Literature www.gravity-360.com 23