Can anyone explain Einstein's Theory of Relativity to me in a way I can understand?

Answer 1

the main idea in relativity theory is that you cannot determine the value of the variables in your equation without determining the "environmental conditions" first. Einstein called this "inertial reference frames".

an atom of plutonium is physically different in free space, than at the center of the sun. the two locations are seperate reference frames.

once you determine the factors that define a reference frame, i.e., - velocity, density, temperature, the forces that bind together the other objects near you, the rate your clock is counting the passage of time, etc. then you can determine the actual values for your subject. i.e. its length, width, height, and in the case of plutonium the rate of radioactive decay. (time realization).

Einstein's most profound discovery was that time was a variable in a mathematical equation.

always before him time had been assumed to be a constant.

now, we say, "the speed of light in an absolute vaccuum" is our best natural constant. a point of reference that doesn't change.

without a good, unchanging constant, all mathematical analysis would be impossible. only approximations at best.

But the realized speed of light in any reference frame is variable.

when a light wave is produce in the sun, it is moving thru a plasma state collection of matter. plasma is very hot very dense, and is a zone of high quantum field densities.

a quantized system is one in which the values of measured variables can only be "integer" numbers, 1,2,3,4, etc.

if you measure the energy of a proton it can only be, say 1 electron volt, (the unit of measure is for electrons but measure electric field energy.) if i want to accelerate, (increase the energy of) the proton, i have to give it a whole quantity of energy, 1 more electron volt, to arrive at 2 ev in one jump.

That's why they say, "make a quantum leap". electrons around a nuecleus do that. and when the electron falls back to its original energy state, it will often emit a photon, a unit of energy equal to the quanta of that system. this determines the color of the photon.

to think in relative terms, will cause you to have an uneasy state of mind at first. most of us think in "newtonian" ways.

i.e., there is a "recipe" or one set of instructions, that if followed will yield an expected result.

but in relativty, basic rules stay the same, (laws of physics), but all the numbers change as the "reference frame" changes.

if i try to detonate a nuclear bomb, the act of setting off the conventional explosive to compress the plutonium, causes the measurements of the plutonium to change, therefor i have to use the amount of explosives based on what the measurements of the plutonium WILL BE, when the explosives produce new conditions for the plutonium.

thats as close as i can get to explaining relativity to a non scientist.

hope it helps

Answer 2

Let A be a stationary observer and B be a moving observer with a source of sound/ light.

Material medium is necessary for the propagation of sound waves.
Therefore, the velocity of sound wave for the moving observer will be different from the value measured by the stationary observer.

Before the Special Theory of Relativity, all were searching for some kind of medium for the propagation of electro-magnetic waves. Like Sound waves, everyone expected that the velocity of E.M. (light) waves to be different for A and for B.

On those days no one can think of E.M. waves propagating with out any medium for propagation. If there were such a medium then the velocity of E.M. waves must be different for A and for B.

But experiments done to detect such a medium failed. The results were contrary to the expectations.

At this stage Einstein postulated the special theory of relativity.

The main postulates are
A. No material medium is necessary for the propagation of E.M. waves.

B. The speed of E.M. waves does not depend on the speed of the source producing them.Therfore, it is a constant. {This is the most important postulate which was later experimentally verified to be correct)

Now there are two things to decide.
1. If length mass and time is the same for A and B, then the velocity of E.M wave must be different for A and B

2. If “the velocity of E.M wave is constant” then the length mass and time will depend upon the velocity of A and B. That is the lenght and time will be changing with the speed of the object.

Now which one is a fact?

Many experiments have proved that the second one is true. And we have to accept that time mass and length are relative quantities. When we deal with speeds very less than the speed of E.M. waves these variations are ignored and cannot be perceived and our common sense tempts us to believe the first though in reality the second one is true.

In ordinary speed of objects we are not finding any difference in time, length and mass.
Therefore, it is difficult for us to accept the theory and understand it well. But it is not hard to understand, if one understands that the speed of light is the same for all moving observers irrespective of their speed.

Answer 3

not really cos I'm a dapper and Einstein was a genius.

I think the point of it is, that you can bend what we call time, as time is a measurement carried out only under certain conditions and circumstances, if you change the conditions and circumstances you can find something which people don't truly accept yet, but to prove it you need to break the speed of light, which nothing can currently do,

I think time travel would be one of the uses, not to go backwards but to stay on the outside of what we call our time measurements, come back into our time, and we'd be the same age but everyone else would be 400 years on.
Something to do with bending time, changing space.
John Gribbin's book, Science a History, tries,

and also I'd like to add that Einstein was a pacifist, he did not invent the nuclear bomb, he managed to split an atom and realised how much energy it created.
he helped to develop the bomb because if Nazi Germany developed it first we'd all be dead.
"I do not know which weapons we will use to fight world War 3, but world war 4 will be fought with sticks and stones"

Albert Einstein...........what a fooking Genius!!!

Answer 4

The Special theory of relativity (SR) was proposed in 1905.
=> One of the results: The famous equation E=mc^2, where c is the speed of light.
General relativity (GR) is the geometrical theory of gravitation published by Albert Einstein in 1915.
=>The result is: Mass curves Space

Answer 5

I'm not sure that 'anyone' could explain Einstein's Theory of Relativity to you. They would certainly have to speak a common language that you both understood and have a reasonable working knowledge of both 'Special Relativity' and 'General Relativity' (you weren't specific in your question to which you referred).

So, the answer to your question is 'no'...

Answer 6

Einsteins' theory of relativity eh ............
......... eh, not sure on that one...........
...is that the one about traveling in a car between A) and B) and throwing a ball at C), and how the speed of the ball looks different depending on where you are standing? HMMmm... maybe not?

Sorry, i've tried but i just can't be good looking and bright at the same time ;)

Answer 7

well let me try,it is my subject.it depends on three conditions-1)where u r?2)what u r?3)when u r?----this 3 facts depends on each other-how?OK for the best example;get out of ur home and look at the space -u'll see it blue;get out of the Earth and look at the space-it is black,go to sun u may see it reddish yellow;go to Saturn it will definitely change--well as the place change,the time change so the surrounding also have changed.this is the basic,it's the way how we tell a seventh stds student about this.now take it from a view of a 12th student-the simple equation is_E=mc^2[there is a fact of energy]where E=ENERGY;m=mass of the object which is considered; c= the speed of light in space.
if a particle of mass 'm' gets a energy of E it will move as fast as light and for it everything would be const. in it's ownplace.so it covers a dist. of 3za 10^8 metre in a sec.u know what I think that our whole calculation system should be done in the basis of speed and characteristics of light;I believe oneday it will be but we have to wait...but once we get it we will get in the mainstream of universe.but if u r thinking of TIME MACHINE then I have sumthin to tall u; if u wanna know then e-mail me at [e-mail]/ [e-mail]...plz.[plz read the report from remik86;the another with the concept of E.M waves is the one with many valuable matters but it is now still on controversy; may u've heard a scientist who said that light's speed is not const. everywhere in space,cause the denst. of matters varies,but it still n....]

Answer 8

That's a project of mine - to understand relativity. I plan to do it in my forties. When I've done it I'll let you know.

Einstein himself said

keep things simple
as simple as possible
but no simpler than that

whatever you think, it's going to be a tough one. If it was easy we'd have figured it out centuries before. The man himself never got his head round quantum mechanics, so I guess there's always something that foxes us...

PS shas* is wrong - forget that one.

Answer 9

Time and Space are conceptual. Even this world is imaginary.

Please read the following book.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0791413640/qid=1152304319/sr=2-1/ref=pd_bbs_b_2_1/103-1016054-7543827?s=books&v=glance&n=283155

Read that ancient scripture. It talks everything about blackholes, time travel, particle-wave theory, aliens, consciousness, mind, matter, energy, creation, Relativity, cosmic dissolution, unified theory, psychology, bondage, liberation, salvation, god etc.

Everyone should read it atleast once in their lifetime.

It will liberate you for sure!

I guarantee it will change your life. Those who don't read it or cannot access it and follow it are really unlucky. Salutations to them. Those who can read it and follow it are great. Salutations to them.

Answer 10

hi buddy it is simple .............. e=mc^2 ok now e = energy m=mass, c= speed of light , c^2 means c squared or c*c ok now einstein simply meant that if u can make a mass that can b anything that has mass (even ur lingerie) to move with speed of light that's 0.3 million km per second then it will change to energy. got it . this was seen in nuclear explosion . the blast pushed matter with speed of light which turned into energy which was measured by instruments ok satisfied