The Theory of Relativity - Report Example

The Theory of Relativity The Theory of Relativity incorporates two main theories that revolutionized how people think of mass, time, and space. The two key theories include the theory of special relativity and the theory of general relativity. Before Albert Einstein came up with the Theory of Relativity, there were other philosophers that had attempted to explain the same and had huge impact on Einstein’s Relativity theory. Isaac Newton’s laws were in use prior to Einstein’s Relativity Theory. According to Newton, the same gravity that allowed things to come down such as fruits falling from a tree is the same gravity that kept the earth in constant motion. A theory that had the greatest influence on the establishment of Relativity Theory was developed by Philosopher David Hume which maintained that time is not separated from the moving objects. Einstein based on this idea to arrive at his conclusion concerning the Theory of Relativity. For this to be possible, Einstein used two main principles (Pathria 28-32). These include the idea that to all observers, the laws concerning physics appear the same. Therefore, it is clear that Einstein did not develop the relativity theory from scratch and that his key contribution was that the speed of light was both constant in vacuum as well as an absolute physical boundary for an object in motion. The second principle was that after calculating the speed of light that he found to be 186,000 miles every second, he found that it was not changing. He also found out that space as well as time ought to be considered together as well as in relation to each other. Therefore, this theory relates directly to time and space. Prior to this conclusion, scientists held a wrong idea that the speed of light could change according to motion of the source as well as the observer. Basing the argument on these conclusions, Einstein deduced that the universe does not have a fixed frame of reference. This implies that all objects are moving relative to each other. This is the theory of relativity. The special relativity theory was named as such because it only applies to select special cases. These include the reference frames in unchanging, constant motion. During the same time, Einstein also came up with a well-known equation that shows the equivalence of energy and mass. The equation was: E=mc2 Einstein applied his relativity theory to gravity fields and came up with the idea of curved space-time continuum. This shows the dimensions related to time and space from a 2-dimensional surface perspective where large objects are responsible for creating dips as well as valleys on the surface. This is one of the most important phenomena as it relates to explaining some of the most difficult topics that include the bending of the light around the sun. Moreover, this idea also explains the CMB or the Cosmic Microwave Background Radiation as well as predicted the black holes. The black holes are objects that have so much density and a strong gravitational attraction to the point that even light cannot escape from them (General Relativity). The black holes were first predicted by Einstein in 1916 in the Theory of Relativity. There are currently three different types of black holes that include stellar black holes, intermediate black holes, and supermassive black holes. The relationship between the gravity and mass allows the black holes to have an extremely gravitational force capacity. The immense power of the black holes makes it difficult for scientists to observe them as they do with the stars. Black holes are related to the theory of relativity in that they were predicted by this theory and they relate to the idea put across by Einstein such as the relationship between mass and space (Gene). To understand the accuracy that emerges from the application of both theories of relativity, it is of importance to understand the basic ideas on both theories. The special relativity theory, which was published in the year 1905, mostly expounds the question of whether motion and rest are absolute or relative. As such, it is only valid for non-accelerating systems. From Newton’s second law, acceleration is a force; special relativity, on the other hand, is only valid when there are no forces acting. This implies that the theory cannot be used when gravitational field is present. The special relativity theory is based on two key postulates that are frequently contradictory especially in classical mechanics. These postulates incorporate the ideas that physics laws are similar for all available observers when the motion is uniform and the idea that the light’s speed is the same for the observers irrespective of relative motion of the observers as well as the movement of the source of light (Parker 26-29). There are several counterintuitive consequences that rise from the latter postulate. These include the simultaneity relativity where two events may not be simultaneous for two observers but simultaneous one of the observers. This is if the observers maintain relative motion. Time dilation is another consequence where clocks in motion tick slower as compared to an observer’s clock. Length contraction maintains that objects are shortened in the direction that they are moving with respect to the observer. Mass energy equivalence is another consequence, which is measured using the equation provided earlier, asserts that mass and energy are transmutable and equivalent. This means that energy and mass are different manifestations of a similar thing. The equation translates to that “a quantity of energy is equivalent to a quantity of mass times the speed of light squared” (Tate). This combination allows the release of a large amount of energy when a nuclear explodes. In relative to a slow moving object, a fast moving one appears to have more mass. This increase in mass is the key reason as to why Einstein states that matter cannot move in a faster speed than that of light. Infinite mass would call for infinite energy so as to move faster than light which is impossible. Furthermore, the maximum speed is measured as infinite. Here, no field line, message or object can move at a speed higher than that of light while in a vacuum. The theory of relativity is related to space and time through the space-time continuum concept that Einstein developed. Space has three main dimensions as per Einstein’s mathematical calculations. The fourth dimension is time. To understand the space-time concept, it can be conceived as a grid of fabric (Tate). Here, is mass is present, space-time is disrupted. The rubber sheet model is one of the popular visualizations in this respect. The source of gravity is also explained in this idea. According to the rubber sheet model, gravity comes from the warping of space-time by massive objects. This warp is commonly known as the gravity well. The second theory is the General Theory of Relativity that was published in 1915. This applies to accelerating particles. The acceleration is particularly attributed to gravitational force. This theory functions as a radical revision of predicting results for fast moving object by Newton. Although it reproduces most of the validated predictions by Newton’s theory, it builds on people’s understanding of various main principles (Theory of Relativity – A Brief History). Newton’s theory failed to explain how mass and distance of a specified object can be moved through space but the General Relativity Theory explained that objects continue moving in a straight line with respect to space-time. However, people observe the motion as acceleration manly because of the space-time that is curved by nature. This theory also maintains that the gravitational field has a capacity to change the direction of propagation of light. Observations on the same issue indicate that Einstein is right about this claim. This is both on the effect as well as on the resulting magnitude. This can be seen on the idea of gravitational lensing where deflection of light takes place within a gravitational field (Redd). Overall, the General Theory of relativity forecasts that light emanating from a gravitational field that has high strength is affected through the length of the wavelength, which shifts to larger value. This is known as the red shift. Detailed observations confirm this effect as well as its magnitude. Moreover, the electromagnetic field contains waves that carry energy and that are known as light. In the same way, the gravitational field has waves that also carry energy and that are known as gravitational waves. These can be viewed as ripples within the curvature of space-time that move at a similar speed to that of light. The General Relativity Theory also has consequences. These include clocks being slower when in deep gravitational wells. This effect is commonly known as gravitational time dilation. In addition, light rays have been observed to bend in gravitational fields. Moreover, the universe is expanding constantly, as the farthest parts are observed moving at speeds greater than the speed of light. Lastly, a phenomenon known as the frame dragging comes up. This involves rotating masses dragging space-time around them. Works Cited Tate, Karl. Einsteins Theory of Relativity Explained (Infographic) 5 Mar. 2015. Web. 25 Apr. 2015. http://www.space.com/28738-einstein-theory-of-relativity-explained-infgraphic.html Pathria, R K. The Theory of Relativity. Mineola: N.Y, 2003. Print. Parker, Katie. The Theory of Relativity. New York: Marshall Cavendish Benchmark, 2010. Print. Gene, Smith. General Relativity & Black Holes. 9 Mar 2000. Web. 25 Apr. 2015. http://casswww.ucsd.edu/archive/public/tutorial/GR.html Redd, Nola. Einsteins Theory of General Relativity. 10 Apr. 2015. Web. 25 Apr. 2015. http://www.space.com/17661-theory-general-relativity.html General Relativity. BBC, 2015. Web. 25 Apr. 2015. . Theory of Relativity – A Brief History. N.d. Web. 25 Apr. 2015. http://www.allaboutscience.org/theory-of-relativity.htm Read More