How is it possible for a gravitational force to warp space-time around itself?

It’s a little useless to speculate why a law of physics exists, isn’t it? I don’t think there’s a reason; it’s like asking why the speed of light is what it is. I guess it’s arbitrary, since I don’t believe in a creator or whatever. Why does gravity warp spacetime? Fuck if i know, it just does. Maybe I don’t understand the question.

I think it’s the other way round. Mass warps space-time which creates gravity.

Quote “Einstein eventually identified the property of spacetime which is responsible for gravity as its curvature. Space and time in Einstein’s universe are no longer flat (as implicitly assumed by Newton) but can pushed and pulled, stretched and warped by matter. Gravity feels strongest where spacetime is most curved, and it vanishes where spacetime is flat. This is the core of Einstein’s theory of general relativity, which is often summed up in words as follows: “matter tells spacetime how to curve, and curved spacetime tells matter how to move”.

This is what seems to be what happens but why it happens see @Mariah‘s answer above.

Space-time gives the appearance being materially nothing, but in fact it is something. We just do not really know what the substance of it is. Like, as you say, gravity. You can’t see the stuff that is gravity, but it is clearly there.

Maybe in a black hole.

I think that the presence of mass shrinks the volume of spacetime. Gravity is an artifact. “Matter changes the geometry of spacetime, this (curved) geometry being interpreted as gravity.” see

@Bill1939 I don’t think it’s possible to shrink the volume of spacetime as it is expanding constantly. I do agree that matter changes the geometry of spacetime.

@Dan_Lyons the volume of the universe is much greater than the mass it contains. I think that spacetime is expanding where there is little or no mass present. Moments after the big bang mass had not come into existence, so the rate of expansion would be greatest. After mass came into existence, the relatively short distances between masses would limit the rate of expansion. As mass consolidated into galaxies the distance between them increased, the effect of their mass decreased and the rate of expansion increased. I am only making a conjecture based upon my very limited knowledge of astrophysics. However, it is my understanding that scientists are not in total agreement on dark matter and dark energy and how they have effected expansion rates.

Bill, your conjecture seems fine but I still can’t believe the notion of mass causing volume shrinkage.