Can someone please explain Einstein's special theory of relativity?

Answer 1

In the simplest terms, special relativity means that the speed of light is fixed, and always appears to be the same whether an observer is in motion or at rest.

If you were in a vehicle travelling at 100 mph, and you threw a baseball in the same direction you were moving at 50 mph, then from an observer on the side of the road the baseball would be travelling at 150 mph, whereas from your point of view the baseball only seems to be moving away from you at 50 mph.

Something weird happens when you're talking about light, however. Light travels at a speed of 186,000 miles per second -- let's call this "c". If you're in a vehicle moving at 100 mph, and you shine a flashlight in the same direction you're moving, the speed of the beam of light is not c + 100 mph, it's still c. Both you in the vehicle, and an observer at the side of the road see the beam of light travelling at exactly the same speed. How is this possible?

Speed is a measure of distance covered vs. time elapsed. If the distance travelled by the beam of light remains the same, then the time elapsed MUST change for each observer. This is what Einstein realized: time actually slows down for an observer in motion, thus giving the appearance that the speed of light is always the same in all frames of reference.

(In our everyday lives, this slowing of time is barely detectable. You only notice it at *extremely* high speeds.)

Answer 2

--This is a simplified explanation:

*** g89 10/8 p. 17 The Fascinating Force of Gravity ***

***Einstein and Gravity
--In 1916 Albert Einstein put forward his general theory of relativity. His amazing discovery was that gravity not only shapes the universe but also governs the way we see and measure it. Why, gravity even affects the way time is measured!
--Again, an illustration helps clarify matters. Imagine space to be like a boundless rubber sheet. Now, placing an object on this flexible mat will cause a dimple, or depression. According to Einstein’s description, the earth, the sun, and the stars are like objects on a flexible mat, causing space to curve. If you roll another object onto the rubber sheet, it will be deflected into a curved path by the depressed area around the first object.
--Similarly, the earth, the planets, and the stars move along curved paths, following the natural “depressions” in space. Even a beam of light is deflected when passing near massive objects in the universe. Furthermore, Einstein’s equations predicted that light traveling against gravity would lose some of its energy, as noted by a slight shift in color toward the red end of the spectrum. Physicists call this phenomenon gravitational redshift.
--Thus, besides clearing up the discrepancies arising from Newton’s discoveries, Einstein’s theory revealed new secrets of how gravity works in the universe."

***Einsteins, E=mc2 presentation , cleared up Lavoisiers ideas on energy, also:

*** ct chap. 6 pp. 89-91 An Ancient Creation Record—Can You Trust It? ***
--In the 18th century, the scientist Antoine-Laurent Lavoisier studied the weight of matter. He noticed that after a chemical reaction, the weight of the product equaled the combined weight of the original ingredients. For example, if paper is burned in oxygen, the resulting ash and gases weigh the same as the original paper and oxygen. Lavoisier proposed a law—‘conservation of mass, or matter.’ In 1910, The Encyclopædia Britannica explained: “Matter can neither be created nor destroyed.” That seemed reasonable, at least back then.
--However, the explosion of an atom bomb over the Japanese city of Hiroshima in 1945 publicly exposed a flaw in Lavoisier’s law. During such an explosion of a supercritical mass of uranium, different types of matter form, but their combined mass is less than that of the original uranium. Why the loss? It is because some of the mass of the uranium is converted into an awesome flash of energy.
--Another problem with Lavoisier’s law on the conservation of matter arose in 1952 with the detonation of a thermonuclear device (hydrogen bomb). In that explosion, hydrogen atoms combined to form helium. The mass of the resulting helium, though, was less than that of the original hydrogen. A portion of the mass of the hydrogen was converted into explosive energy, an explosion far more devastating than the bomb released over Hiroshima.
--As these explosions proved, a small amount of matter represents an enormous quantity of energy. This link between matter and energy explains the power of the sun, which keeps us alive and well. What is the link? Well, some 40 years earlier, in 1905, Einstein had predicted a relationship between matter and energy. Many know of his equation E=mc2. Once Einstein formulated that relationship, other scientists could explain how the sun has kept shining for billions of years. Within the sun, there are continuous thermonuclear reactions. In this way, every second, the sun converts about 564 million tons of hydrogen into 560 million tons of helium. This means that some 4 million tons of matter are transformed into solar energy, a fraction of which reaches earth and sustains life.
-Significantly, the reverse process is also possible. “Energy changes into matter when subatomic particles collide at high speeds and create new, heavier particles,” explains The World Book Encyclopedia. Scientists accomplish this on a limited scale using huge machines called particle accelerators, in which subatomic particles collide at fantastic speeds, creating matter. “We’re repeating one of the miracles of the universe—transforming energy into matter,” explains Nobel laureate physicist Dr. Carlo Rubbia.

Answer 3

I would suggest you sign up for physics at a really good university. That is the one and only way you will be able to REALLY learn about it. Any explanation people give here, all the reading of Wikipedia etc., books for the layman, that is all nonsense. Why?

Because science is like carpentry. Just like you can't learn how to work wood without ever touching it, you can't learn how to work nature without touching it. A person wanting to become a carpenter will learn fastest from a good carpenter. A person wanting to understand science will learn fastest from a scientist.

Good luck!

Answer 4

The velocity of light is independent of the motion of the source and the observer. Thus the speed of light is a universal constant, and a universal speed limit. When the classical energy equation is modified with this idea in mind we find that all matter has a rest energy proportional to its rest mass:

e = mc^2

Answer 5

The special theory relates to the speed of light as seen by different observers at 'varying positions and speeds of observation'.

It's best described here: http://www.einsteinyear.org/facts/special_relativity/

Hope this helps.

Answer 6

check out H.C Verma's concepts of physics (vol - II).
I think you'll get a basic idea about the theory of relativity.

for now, check this out:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Theory_of_relativity

Answer 7

Theory... E=MC2

E= Energy
M=Mass (multiplied by)
C= (square of) speed of light

So therefore everything is energy in a form derived by it's mass and square of the speed of light...

Everything in existance is a form of energy... in other words a vibration between two points... if you have only one point there is no vibration and no energy.

Answer 8

Yep

Answer 9

Yeah, right. It isn't exactly simple. See the source.