Physical effects of gravitational waves: pedagogical examples

Abstract

General relativity describes gravitation in terms of the geometry of spacetime. It predicts the existence of gravitational waves (GWs) that stretch and compress spacetime and were detected recently by state-of-the-art interferometer observations. Yet, for those who are not familiar with general relativity, it may be difficult to understand how the GWs actually stretch and compress spacetime. In this paper, after reviewing the fact that the effects of GWs can be understood as a force in Newtonian mechanics, we consider extreme and readily perceivable situations where large-amplitude GWs pass through the human body and the Earth, and demonstrate that GWs cause phenomena that commonly occur in daily life by back-of-the-envelope calculations. Our analysis provides intellectual and pedagogical materials for understanding the nature of GWs for nonexperts in general relativity.