Introduction
Einstein's theory of relativity is a famous theory, but it's little understood. Essentially, the theory of relativity refers to two different parts of the same theory: special relativity and general relativity. The theory of special relativity was introduced first, and was later considered to be a special case of the more comprehensive theory of general relativity. During the nineteenth century, scientists believed that light is a wave. They reasoned that waves of light need a medium to travel through, so they invented the concept of "ether." Light was thought to transmit through the ether, which stands still while all matter moves through it. In order to measure the earth's speed through the ether, Albert A. Michelson and Edward Morley collaborated on an experiment in 1887. In the experiment, one beam of light took a route against the ether and back while the other was perpendicular to the ether. Michelson and Morley expected to calculate the speed of the earth through the ether, to their surprise, the beams of light completed the course in the same time. However, the well-known Michelson-Morley experiment had failed to detect Earth's motion relative to the ether and no one could explain why. Something was wrong with the traditional understanding of relativity as it applied to light. Within this essay we will further explain both parts of the theory of relativity and their relevance in our world.
The Special Theory of Relativity
It wasn't until 1905, that the results of the Michelson-Morley experiment were explained. In Einstein’s most famous scientific paper, On the Electrodynamics of Moving Bodies, Einstein clarified that the idea of ether is unnecessary if the speed of light were expected to be an absolute const...
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...ers. This example shows that space and time are interconnected.
In addition, Einstein was able to show that mass and energy were related, with the legendary formula E=mc2. Basically, Einstein found that the mass of the object increased as an object approached the speed of light, c. Therefore the object goes faster, but it also gets heavier. If it were actually able to move at c, the object’s mass and energy would both be infinite. A heavier object is harder to speed up, so it’s impossible to ever actually get the particle up to a speed of c. This relationship was proven most dramatically to the world when nuclear bombs released the energy of mass in Hiroshima and Nagasaki at the end of World War II.
The Special Theory of Relativity is so ‘special’ because it is part of the more complex and extensive Theory of General Relativity, which reshaped the world of physics.
Einstein's equation "E=mc^2" has two sides which is constructive and destructive. The constructive side is when energy is converted into mass and the destructive side is when a small amount of mass is converted into energy. According to Einstein’s equation, the physicists of the Manhattan project hypothesized that a minute mass ...
If you have ever read Einstein's Dreams, you can appreciate my dilemma. If you have not yet had the opportunity to experience this wonderful novel by Alan Lightman, I guarantee that after you read it you will expand your perception of the nature of time and of human activity. The novel is enchanting. It is a fictional account of what one of the greatest scientific minds dreams as he begins to uncover his theory of relativity.
Albert Einstein’s discoveries and theories have had a positively enormous effect on the world. Some of Einstein’s biggest impacting discoveries and theories are the theories of Special and General relativity, the Theory of Relativity, Brownian motion, the discovery of the photon, and Einstein’s creation of the equation E = MC^2. Perhaps Einstein’s most beneficial discovery is his formulation of E = MC^2 which is crucial for space-flight and can help today’s scientist in gathering knowledge about our universe.
In November of 1919, at the age of 40, Albert Einstein became an overnight celebrity, thanks to a solar eclipse. An experiment had confirmed that light rays from distant stars were deflected by the gravity of the sun in just the amount he had predicted in his theory of gravity, General Relativity. General Relativity was the first major new theory of gravity since Isaac Newton's, more than two hundred and fifty years earlier.
This aspect of relativity explained the phenomena of light bending around the sun, predicted black holes as well as the Cosmic Microwave Background Radiation (CMB) -- a discovery rendering fundamental anomalies in the classic Steady-State hypothesis. For his work on relativity, the photoelectric effect and blackbody radiation, Einstein received the Nobel Prize in 1921.
Greene continues with his explanations of the special theory of relativity.Chapter 3: Of Warps and Ripples Green begins the chapter by describing "Newton's View of Gravity" and continues by discussing the incompatibility of Newtonian Gravity and Special Relativity. The author also talks about how Einstein discovered the link between acceleration and the warping of space and time. Greene also discuses the basic aspects of General Relativity. He later points out how the two theories of relativity effect black holes, the big bang, and the expansion of space.Chapter 4: Microscopic Weirdness This chapter describes, in detail, the workings of quantum mechanics.
In 1905 Einstein published the Annus Mirabilis papers. These papers explained each of his four main theories; the photoelectric effect, Brownian motion, Special Relativity and Matter energy-equivalence. These four works created the foundation for modern day physics and brought a new view to space, time and matter. Brownian motion is the random movement of small particles in either a gas or a liquid caused by collisions with the particles around them. Albert Einstein came up with mathematical equations that allowed him to determine the exact size of atoms. With these equations Einstein essentially provided the first substantial evidence that atoms actually do exist. Einstein’s second paper was on the photoelectric effect. Until Einstein, the photoelectric effect went unsolved. Einstein concluded that when a photon hits a metal surface, the photoelectrons on the metals surface are emitted as certain light frequencies. Thus proving that light has quanta meaning it has packets of energy. This has brought huge technological advancements and has a lot to do with many things that surround us today. Old television used video camera tubes that required the photoelectric effect to charge the screen and transform the image...
Miller, A. (1975) Albert Einstein and Max Wertheimer: a Gestalt psychologist's view of the genesis of special relativity theory. History of science; an Annual Review of Literature, Research and Teaching 13 (2): 75–103.
A hundred years ago, a young married couple sat at a kitchen table talking over the items of the day while their young boy sat listening earnestly. He had heard the debate every night, and while there were no raised voices, their discussion was intense. It was a subject about which his parents were most passionate - the electrodynamics of moving bodies in the universe. The couple were of equal intelligence and fortitude, working together on a theory that few people can comprehend even to this day. Mileva Maric Einstein was considered to be the intellectual equal of her husband Albert, but somehow went unrecognized for her contributions to the 1905 Papers, which included the Special Theory of Relativity. The stronger force of these two bodies would be propelled into the archives of scientific history, while the other would be left to die alone, virtually unknown. Mrs. Einstein was robbed. She deserved to be recognized for at least a collaborative effort, but it was not to be. The role which society had accorded her and plain, bad luck would prove to be responsible for the life of this great mathematician and scientist, gone unnoticed.
Masters, Barry R. "Albert Einstein and the Nature of Light." 2010. Optics and Photonics News. The Optical Society. Article. 31 March 2014. .
The third places used to be a place where people meet to unwind, discuss, and talk about their passion. Neighborhood and community used to be the main source of third place as it was the most geographically convenient. Due to the technological advances physical third spaces have decreased. This has lead to the rise of third space on the internet, in the form of virtual communities. Virtual communities and Third spaces share many of the same characteristic.
In 1905, Albert Einstein wrote his paper on the special theory of relativity (Prosper). This theory has the reputation as being so exotic that few people can understand it. On the contrary, special relativity is simply a system of kinematics and dynamics, based on a set of postulates that is different from those of classical mec...
Albert A. Michelson is the father of the interferometer and the “Michelson Interferometer” is still used today. Michelson was born in Prussia in 1872 and later moved to the United States where he joined the U.S. Navy. As an instructor in the Navy academy he was asked to demonstrate the Foucault method of measuring the speed of light and made several improvements on it. Michelson received a grant and built his first interferometer much like the one presently used. It consisted of an Argand lamp, two mirrors, two beam splitters and an eyepiece. The device was extremely sensitive to vibrations and wasn’t accurate until it was brought to the Potsdam Astrophysical Observatory in Berlin where it was mounted on a platform designed for an equatorial telescope. With proper setup Michelson attempted to detect the presence ether, an invisible undetectable material that surrounded by all matter. This was unsuccessful and Einstein later declared that the ether did not exit and light travels at the same speed in all directions. Michelson would later receive the Nobel Prize for science for “precision optical instruments and the spectroscope and metrological investigations conducted herewith.” Several versions of the interferometer were devised by Michelson including, the interferential comparator for standardizing the meter, a mechanical harmonic analyzer for testing the harmonic motion of fringes, and a stellar interferometer for measuring the size of stars.
Of all the sciences that seek to explain the rules that govern our world (astronomy, chemistry, earth science, physics, and biology), astronomy has existed the longest. It is naturally connected with religion and mythology due to the mystery of the cosmos. According to Plato, “astronomy compels the soul to look upwards and leads us from this world to another” (Brainy Quotes). Consequently, humans have been fascinated with the stars for countless millennia. This fascination evolved from pre-historic cultures worshipping solar eclipses to modern astronomy clubs like the Astronomy Society at UCF studying the birth of stars that are millions of light years away.
Ever since the beginning of time there have been stars. Not only stars in the sky, but moons, planets, and even galaxies! Astronomy is defined as the branch of science that deals with celestial objects, space, and the physical universe as a whole. In other words it is the study of space, planets, and stars. Throughout the ages, many people have used astronomy to help them learn about the universe, our own planet, and even make predictions about life itself. Understanding astronomy means understanding where it originated, the different groups/cultures that used it, and modern purposes of the science of the stars.