I am having a hard time understanding how gravitational waves move.
The only reasonable thing that comes to my mind would be the aether but that idea was scrapped.
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3What makes you think a medium is required? A medium is not required for electromagnetic radiation, which travels best when there is no medium. Another way to look at it is that empty space is the medium that carries electromagnetic radiation. Yet another way to look at it is that a medium is not needed for electromagnetic radiation, or for gravitational waves. – David Hammen Feb 09 '21 at 11:11
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2One could perhaps spacetime consider to be the "medium" – jng224 Feb 09 '21 at 11:33
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2You can ask the same question about electromagnetic waves. Here is more on it. In what medium are non-mechanical waves a disturbance? The aether? – mmesser314 Feb 09 '21 at 12:39
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@DavidHammen, you're saying there's no such thing as luminiferous aether? – Mark Feb 09 '21 at 23:44
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As you are an undergraduate, have you any knowledge of General Relativity?
Gravitational waves do not exist in classical Newtonian Mechanics. They are waves in the fabric of space and time itself, according to General Relativity. This is a simplified explanation of what gravitational waves are. As you will see, since it is space time itself that displays wave like behavior there is no need for a medium.
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