In 1783, an amateur astronomer named John Michell theorized that if an object had a radius that was five hundred times larger than the sun, but with the approximate average density of the sun, the velocity that would be required to escape the object’s gravitational pull would be faster than the speed of light (Temming). Simon Pierre Laplace, a French astronomer and mathematician, came to a similar conclusion a few years later (Temming). However, their findings were largely discredited since Michell
laid the seeds that lead to the development of planets that support life. Like the lifespan of a star, the duration of the universe may also be finite. This finite duration is a shared property of stars, life and even the universe. The Theory of General
Einstein’s Theory of General Relativity originally came to him in 1907 while he was sitting in a chair in the patent office in Bern. Lost in thought, he began wondering what it would be like to drop a ball while falling off the side of a building (James Overdunn, Stanford Edu) Granting all this, he realized that the person who was falling would not be able to detect the effect of gravity on the ball whereas an observer could. Hence, he figured out the principle of Equivalence, that gravity pulling
Aaron Peters Mrs. Smith Language Arts 24 October 2017 General Relativity General relativity affects people today, whether they are an astronaut or a zoologist. To understand general relativity, one must know how spacetime works, how black holes affect it, and how it affects humanity. General relativity is the idea that everything is made out of spacetime and that mass affects spacetime. One way to describe spacetime is by using a metaphor of a rubber sheet. The metaphor goes like
The History of Classical Gravitational Theory and General Relativity In the beginning scientists and religious men of their era tried to explain the universe both biblically and scientifically. One of the foremost Greek scientists was Aristotle; taught by Plato, that the circle and sphere are the two most perfect shapes in a 2 and 3 dimensional universe, Aristotelian system placed Earth at the center of the universe; and all other heavenly bodies revolved around the earth in crystalline orbitals
In order to explain the effects of gravity we must begin by explaining what causes the phenomenon. Objects with mass warp space time. The idea that space and time possess the ability to be curved or warped is recent. Before, the axioms of Euclidean geometry were considered to be true. One of the consequences of these axioms is that the angles of a triangle add up to 180°. Considering for example, the surface of the Earth. The closest thing to a straight line we have is a curve. These are the shortest
Einstein has brought many insights of life including the theory of the speed of light, which has led to the special theory of relativity that molded the way science, is today. “For example, various experiments, including the Michelson-Morley experiment, failed to measure the expected changes in the speed of light relative to the motion of the Earth. Due to this Einstein recognized
Over many centuries, there has been a great deal of controversy over the ultimate fate of the universe. It began in the early 1900’s with Albert Einstein’s theory that General relativity could be used to inform us about the universe which would also inform us on how the universe would end. Russian Physicist, Alexander Friedman, was the first to believe that universe was expanding from initial singularity which is also known as the Big Bang. After Edwin Hubble stated his observation on the universe’s
According to the general relativity theory, a sufficiently compact mass has the capacity to deform spacetime thereby forming what is commonly known as a black hole, a point around which the gravitational force is too strong. Imagine a giant building, a skyscraper for example, being compacted and compressed to the size of a Rubik’s cube. This happens to the massive dying star at the end of its life. For nearly 200 years now, theorists have postulated the existence of black holes and now there is
Albert Einstein’s vs. Newton: General Theory of Relativity Albert Einstein, most famously known as a physicist, was a contributor to the scientific world with his many known researches and humanitarian work. As a Nobel Prize Winner in 1921, his chronicled and more important works include Special Theory of Relativity (1905), Relativity (English Translation, 1920 and 1950), General Theory of Relativity (1916), Investigations on Theory of Brownian Movement (1926), and The Evolution