Einstein's Principle of Relativity

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What would happen if he could ride alongside abeam of light, was the question that Albert Einstein asked himself in 1894. This simple question was a question that eventually led Einstein to formulate his theories on relativity. Ten years were all it took Einstein to have two theories regarding spacetime; the theory of special relativity and the theory general relativity. The theory of special relativity is the theory that unifies time and space, while the theory of general relativity explains gravity as the curvature of spacetime.
In a paper titled, “Zur Elektrodynamik bewegter Koerper” (“On the Electrodynamics of Moving Bodies”), Einstein explained his Special Theory of Relativity. This paper was where Einstein showed the world his discovery of the speed of light being a constant. Einstein also stated that time and space are relative to the observer's position. "Wraped time is how special relativity tells us that clocks run at different places." The theory of special relativity was essential to the development of general relativity.
General relativity states that gravity and motion can have an effect on time and space. Einstein's general relativity is centered around a principle that "states that the effects of acceleration cannot be distinguished from those of gravity," this principle is called the equivalence principle.
General relativity explores the relationship between gravitational mass and inertial mass, to be able to figure out the effect of gravity depending only on spacetime and geometry. The geodesic in a flat space is a striaght line that is also the shortest distance between two points in a flat space. A geodesic can still be defined in a curved space, but unlike in a flat space, the geodesic does not necessari...

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...s a major role in the domain of astronomy, physics, and cosmology. Furthermore, it is not possible to say that Einstein was the person who solemly discovered gravity or discovered how the universe works. A great example is the way that Einstein's Principle of Relativity was based on what Galileo had previously dicovered in the seventeenth century. However, it would be fair to say that Einstein was a very successful person when dealing with the ways of the universe for he made many groundbreaking discoveries in his lifetime. The Principle of Relativity is, in few words, a wonderful discovery that help advance and almost perfect the world of physics.

Works Cited

• http://physicscentral.com/explore/writers/will.cfm
• http://history1900s.about.com/od/1900s/qt/relativity.htm
• http://dsc.discovery.com/tv-shows/curiosity/topics/discoveries-relativity-made-possible.htm

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