Albert Einstein published two theories of relativity: Special Relativity and General Relativity.
Special Relativity says that the speed of light is constant in all referencial frames even if they are moving near the speed of light, and nothing can travel faster than the speed of light. This means that time and space is NOT absolute, or in other words, how fast time flows depends on how fast one is moving. This also led Einstein to the conclusion that matter and energy are euqivalent, and he described it in his most famous equation, E=MC^2.
General Relativity describes gravity not as a force, but as a manifestation of curved space and time. In this theory, spacetime is treated as a 4-dimensional manifold (or in other words a 4-dimensional geometric shape) which is curved by the presence of mass, energy, and momentum (or stress-energy) within it. The motion of objects being influenced solely by the geometry of spacetime (also called inertial motion) occurs along special paths called timelike and null geodesics of spacetime. Typically, any object falling to the ground unobstructed would be following such a path, as well as any orbital motion of planets, moons, and stars.
After Einstein published General Relativity, he and other physicists predicted the following based on the results of their calculations using Einstein's general relativity field equations:
1. Gravitational redshifting of light: The frequency of light will decrease (shifting visible light towards the red end of the spectrum) as it moves to higher gravitational potentials (out of a gravity well). Confirmed by the Pound-Rebka experiment.
2. Gravitational time dilation: Clocks will run slower at lower gravitational potentials (deeper within a gravity well). Confirmed by the Haefele-Keating experiment and GPS.
3. Gravitational time delay: Signals will take longer than expected to move through a gravitational field. Confirmed through observations of signals from spacecraft and pulsars passing behind the Sun as seen from the Earth.
4. Gravitational lensing: A distant object in front of another much more distant object can change how the more distant object is seen by curving the light from the more distant object. These effects include:
(a) Multiple views of the same object: Observations of quasars
whose light passes close to an intervening galaxy.
(b) Brightening of a star due to the focusing effects of a planet
or another star passing in front of it.
(c) Einstein rings and arcs: One object directly behind another
can make the more distant object's light appear as a ring.
When almost directly behind, the result is an arc.
5. Blackholes: objects which have gravitationally collapsed such that not even light can escape from behind its event horizon.
6. Expansion of the universe: This is predicted by cosmological solutions of the Einstein Field Equations. Its existence was confirmed by Edwin Hubble in 1929.
7. Cosmological redshift: Light from distant galaxies will be redshifted due to their movement away from the observer according to Hubble's law.
8. Big Bang: The arising of the universe from a primordial singularity. Confirmed by the discovery of the Cosmic microwave background radiation, the remnants of the primordial fireball. Discovered by Arno Penzias and Robert Wilson in 1965.
9. Dark energy: This is an energy field of unknown composition that may exist throughout the universe. Recent observations of distant supernovae indicate that the expansion of the universe is currently "accelerating". The solutions of the Einstein field equations that call for this behavior for the current universe, which may require the reintroduction of the cosmological constant, are for a stress-energy which is at least 70% dark energy.
2006-10-05 20:17:14
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answer #1
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answered by PhysicsDude 7
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Read stephen hawking's ' A brief History of itme'.
Any educated person can understand the theory of relativity after reading this book.
2006-10-05 19:40:38
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answer #2
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answered by Desotex 2
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nothing can travel faster than light wich always travels at a constant speed.
Time is relative to the speed something travels at, fast travelling things expericence a slower time so live/last longer (opposite to peolpe you notice here) but compared to the fast traveling item time passes faster in slow traveling things. Hence the relativity.
2006-10-05 19:46:24
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answer #3
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answered by Ronald K 2
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your perfect guess will be to purchase a textbook, that would have many information. you could also locate information on wikipedia, yet genuinely it truly is what it really is. The action of all gadgets is relative on your reference body. case in factor if man or woman A is status on the aspect of the line and a automobile passes him at 60mph, then the speed of the automobile relative to man or woman A is 60mph. Now say man or woman B is in a automobile vacationing at 50mph, properly now relative to the body, the different automobile passes him at 10mph, even although its vacationing at 60mph. hassle-free adequate? right it truly is the position it receives complicated. Say the 60mph automobile had a effortless beam in the front of it. in both cases, both man or woman A and B see the effortless beam go back and forth at 3*10^ meters in accordance to second, inspite of reference body. the speed of light is an same in all reference frames. the speed of light only consequences reference frames that go back and forth at truly extreme speed
2016-11-26 20:32:00
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answer #4
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answered by hariwon 4
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2 points
2006-10-05 19:50:23
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answer #5
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answered by Pauline 5
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mostly that in space, with the speed of light you can essentially fold space and travel so far away that you can witness even earth being born, because afterall, some of the stars that we see in the sky are already dead, light just travels so slowly that we are potentially a million years behind when seeing it from earth
2006-10-05 19:41:28
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answer #6
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answered by Elizabeth M 2
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