- "The theory of relativity usually encompasses two interrelated physics theories by Albert Einstein: special relativity and general relativity."
The study of the relationships between space, time, and gravity.
Special Theory of Relativity: This theory deals with the concept of space and time being relative to the observer, and how objects move in space-time.
General Theory of Relativity: This theory explains the concept of gravity as a curvature of space-time caused by an object in it.
Lorentz Transformation: This is a mathematical tool used to transform coordinates between two reference frames in Special Relativity.
Time Dilation: This is the concept that time appears to pass slower for a moving observer when compared to a stationary one.
Length Contraction: This is the concept that objects appear to be shorter when they are moving at high speeds.
Equivalence Principle: This is the concept that the effects of gravity and acceleration are indistinguishable.
Black Holes: These are regions of space with immense gravitational forces, where the escape velocity exceeds the speed of light.
Cosmology: The branch of physics that studies the origin, structure, and evolution of the universe.
Particle Physics: The branch of physics that focuses on the fundamental building blocks of matter and their interactions.
Quantum Physics: The branch of physics that deals with the behavior of matter and energy on the atomic and subatomic scale.
Gravitational Waves: These are ripples in the fabric of space-time caused by the acceleration of massive objects.
Relativity and the Speed of Light: The concept that the speed of light is constant, and is the same for all observers, regardless of their motion.
Inertial Frames of Reference: Frames of reference where objects appear to be at rest, or moving with constant velocity.
Curved Space-Time: The concept that space and time are not flat, but are curved by the presence of matter and energy.
Energy-Mass Equivalence: The equation E=mc², which describes the relationship between energy and mass, and how mass can be converted into energy.
Theory of Everything: The idea that there may be a single unified theory that can explain all the forces in the universe, including gravity and quantum mechanics.
Dark Matter and Dark Energy: These are hypothetical forms of matter and energy that are believed to make up a large portion of the universe, but cannot be seen or directly detected.
Black Hole Thermodynamics: The study of how black holes behave as thermodynamic systems, with properties such as temperature, entropy, and energy.
String Theory: The theory that postulates that fundamental particles of matter are not point-like, but are actually one-dimensional objects called strings.
Quantum Field Theory: The branch of physics that combines quantum mechanics with special relativity to describe the behavior of subatomic particles.
Loop Quantum Gravity: A theory that attempts to describe gravity using the principles of quantum mechanics and general relativity.
Causal Structure: The concept that events in space-time are connected in a causal chain, with each event influencing the ones that come after it.
Mach's Principle: The idea that inertia is caused by the distribution of matter in the universe, rather than being an inherent property of objects.
Torsion: The curvature of space-time due to the twisting of space-time in the presence of mass and energy.
Branes: Higher dimensional objects that can be used to describe the behavior of particles and forces in the universe.
Special relativity: This type of relativity deals with the laws of physics in inertial frames of reference. It was developed by Albert Einstein in 1905 and introduced concepts such as time dilation, length contraction, and the impossibility of faster-than-light travel.
General relativity: This type of relativity is an extension of special relativity and deals with gravitational forces. It was developed by Albert Einstein in 1915 and introduced the concept of spacetime curvature, which explains how gravity works.
Galilean relativity: This type of relativity deals with the laws of physics in frames of reference that are moving at a constant velocity with respect to one another. It was developed by Galileo Galilei in the 17th century and is still used in some contexts today, although it is not as accurate as special or general relativity.
Lorentzian relativity: This type of relativity is a variant of special relativity that deals with the geometry of spacetime. It was developed by Hendrik Lorentz in the late 19th century and incorporates the idea that the speed of light is always constant, regardless of the motion of the observer.
Conformal relativity: This type of relativity is a theory of gravity that is based on the idea of conformal symmetry. It was first proposed in the early 20th century and has been the subject of ongoing research in theoretical physics.
Scale relativity: This type of relativity is a theory of quantum gravity that proposes that spacetime is fractal in nature. It was developed in the 1980s by Laurent Nottale and has been the subject of ongoing research in theoretical physics.
Teleparallelism: This type of relativity is a theory that describes gravity as a geometric property of spacetime. It was developed in the mid-20th century by Einstein's colleague, Elie Cartan, and has been the subject of ongoing research in theoretical physics.
Finsler geometry: This type of relativity is a theory that describes the geometry of spacetime in terms of a Finsler metric, which is a generalization of the more familiar Riemannian metric used in general relativity. It was first proposed in the early 20th century and has been the subject of ongoing research in theoretical physics.
Relationalism: This type of relativity is a theory that emphasizes the importance of the observer in determining the properties of physical phenomena. It was first proposed in the 17th century by philosophers such as Gottfried Leibniz and has been the subject of ongoing research in theoretical physics.
Machian relativity: This type of relativity is a theory that is based on the principle of Mach's principle, which states that the properties of physical phenomena are determined by the distribution of matter in the universe. It was first proposed in the late 19th century by Ernst Mach and has been the subject of ongoing research in theoretical physics.
- "Special relativity was proposed and published in 1905 and general relativity in 1915, respectively."
- "Special relativity applies to all physical phenomena in the absence of gravity."
- "General relativity explains the law of gravitation and its relation to the forces of nature."
- "General relativity applies to the cosmological and astrophysical realm, including astronomy."
- "It superseded a 200-year-old theory of mechanics created primarily by Isaac Newton."
- "It introduced concepts including 4-dimensional spacetime as a unified entity of space and time, relativity of simultaneity, kinematic and gravitational time dilation, and length contraction."
- "With relativity, cosmology and astrophysics predicted extraordinary astronomical phenomena such as neutron stars, black holes, and gravitational waves."
- "The theory transformed theoretical physics and astronomy during the 20th century."
- "Relativity improved the science of elementary particles and their fundamental interactions."
- "With relativity, cosmology and astrophysics predicted extraordinary astronomical phenomena such as neutron stars, black holes, and gravitational waves."
- "It introduced 4-dimensional spacetime as a unified entity of space and time."
- "General relativity explains the law of gravitation and its relation to the forces of nature."
- "It introduced concepts including... kinematic and gravitational time dilation."
- "With relativity, cosmology and astrophysics predicted extraordinary astronomical phenomena such as neutron stars, black holes, and gravitational waves."
- "It introduced concepts including... 4-dimensional spacetime as a unified entity of space and time."
- "With relativity, cosmology and astrophysics predicted extraordinary astronomical phenomena such as neutron stars, black holes, and gravitational waves."
- "The theory transformed... astronomy during the 20th century."
- "It superseded a 200-year-old theory of mechanics created primarily by Isaac Newton."
- "Relativity improved the science of elementary particles and their fundamental interactions, along with ushering in the nuclear age."