Einstein's Theory of Relativity
This week we discussed light and sound waves, and, in the course of our discussion, Einstein's Theory of Relativity came up. I have always heard about this theory and its significance to the way the universe is perceived, but it has never been fully explained to me. After some research, I think I have the basic ideas down, however it would take a while to explain them here. For a link to the Theory of Relativity explained in layman's terms, look here: http://www.muppetlabs.com/~breadbox/txt/al.html.
The impact the two theories (special and general relativity) have had on society has been immense. Special relativity is mathematically self-consistent, and it is an organic part of all modern physical theories, most notably quantum field theory, string theory, and general relativity (Wikipedia.com).General relativity has emerged as a highly successful model of gravitation and cosmology, which has so far passed every unambiguous observational and experimental test to which it has been subjected. Still, there are strong indications the theory is incomplete.
The problem of quantum gravity, and the associated question of the reality of spacetime singularities, remain open. Observational data like that for dark energy and dark matter could indicate the need for new physics, and while the so-called Pioneer anomaly might yet admit of a conventional explanation, it, too, could be a harbinger of new physics. Even while staying within the frame of Einstein's theory, general relativity is rich with possibilities for further exploration: mathematical relativists explore the nature of singularities and the fundamental properties Einstein's equations, ever more comprehensive computer simulations of specific spacetimes (such as those describing merging black holes) are run, and the race for the first direct detection of gravitational waves continues apace, with opportunities to test the theory beyond the limited approximations it has been tested so far even in the binary pulsar measurements. More than ninety years after the theory was first published, general relativity remains a highly active area of research (Wikipedia.com).
No comments:
Post a Comment