ariellew

__//** The Theory of Relativity **//__ Albert Einstein is the inventor of the theory of Relativity greenpagan.blogspot.com

Albert Einstein is known as one of the greatest thinkers of the twentieth century. He was a physicist and humanitarian with a love for learning, creativity, and figuring out the workings of the world. His scientific and mathematical discoveries have revolutionized the intellectual world and inspired others to excel to a higher level of thinking. His life's work is a testament to perseverance and determination as well as a love for learning. Einstein's scientific breakthroughs have created a base on which many other intellectuals have invented and expanded in physics and mathematics. One of Einstein's most well known ideas is the theory of relativity, which impacts almost all aspects of life through innovative thinking. When analyzing the impacts on society of accepting the theory of relativity, Einstein's theory has given further insight into outer space and it has changed the way that people think.
 * __ Statement: __**



The idea of the solar system and how gravitational forces work was completely revolutionized by Einstein's theory of relativity. www.rain.org

Outer space has always been referred to as the "final frontier" because it is such a complicated subject for the human mind to fathom. Space that continues for an indefinite amount of space and time with hundreds of other solar systems similar to that in which Earth resides, that may possibly contain planets, which are home to other life forms. Needless to say, there are many unanswered questions about our galaxy's surroundings. Until Einstein's theory of relativity, it had never been thought that time and space could be something other than consistent. Albert Einstein shook the foundation of previous assumptions by coming out with his statement that, "empty space can contract, expand, or curve depending on how close you are to a massive object, and the rate at which time passes can change as well. Space and time can even change depending on who is measuring them; the hands on a clock will look smaller and tick slower the faster the clock is moving with respect to you" (Curious). Einstein's theory of relativity impacted many aspects of outer space such as the solar system's motion, astronomy, the big bang theory, black holes, cosmology, and time. Gravity has always baffled scientists because it is such a constant force that affects everything, no matter how large or small, in the same way. Before Einstein’s theory of relativity, it was viewed as a force that was pulling the objects down towards the ground. But Einstein’s theory suggests that it is not so much of a force, but rather a curvature of space and time caused by Earth and its high mass. He suggests that when an object comes near a massive object, such as a planet, it is not pulled towards it, but it is instead still moving along its previous straight line, but it is in empty space, which the theory of relativity suggests can be curved. This causes the object to appear to be pulled, when in fact, the empty space is just curving the object’s straight path towards the massive planet. This is due to gravity’s warping of the “space-time” continuum (Curious). The curvature of space and time causes light to bend. Arthur Eddington first tested this in 1919, which gave much credibility to Einstein’s theory. It also shed some light on the scary and foreign phenomenon called the black hole. A black hole is an extreme curve in space and time that is so intense that not even the light it bends can escape (Curious). “Some people thought that there must have been another, unseen planet (which they called Vulcan) whose gravitational pull was affecting Mercury's orbit, but Einstein showed that all the problems went away once the theory of relativity was taken into account” (Curious). The theory of relativity proved the nonexistence of Vulcan, which changed the way people thought of the solar system. Curved time is an interesting topic that is discussed in Einstein’s theory of relativity. He suggests that time goes slower when closer to a massive object, such as a planet. It is hypothesized that if one were to see an object disappear into a black hole, the object would appear to stop completely and then fade away rather than going farther into the distance (Curious). Gravity slowing down time also affects the frequency of light waves. Because time is slower near a massive object, the light waves appear bluer when they are closer to the massive object and redder when they are farther away, as was observed in 1960 by Robert Pound and Glen Rebka (Curious). Physicists have come a long way because of the door that Einstein’s theory of relativity opened. His way of thinking led to much great advancement in knowledge of outer space.



The existence of other life forms has been questioned time and time again and Einstein's idea that closed spaces without limits could possibly exist made the universe more vast than previously expected. alien-ufo-research.com

Einstein inspired the saying that, “everything is relative.” People now have more open minds when thinking about size, race, religion, and environment. They consider how others lives are different than their own and therefore have more empathy for others. They think that anything is possible after what they have seen from Albert Einstein’s discoveries in his theory of relativity. His theory inspires thought about what is really happening in outer space and how the space-time continuum truly functions. Does life exist on other planets? Will the curvature of space and time help astronauts someday reach other galaxies? Do physicists have any grasp on how black holes work or are their hypotheses completely flawed? These are all questions that have been raised by Einstein and his revolutionary way of thinking about gravity, space, and time. His ideas about the way in which masses interact with space changed the way people think about gravity and forces forever. Einstein theorizes that, “closed spaces without limits are conceivable” (Chapter 31). Einstein's theory has given further insight into outer space and it has changed the way that people think.

Gravity was examined and reevaluated due to the theory of relativity. theuniverseshow.blogspot.com

"Curious About Astronomy? The Theory of Relativity." Curious About Astronomy? Ask an Astronomer. 21 Mar. 2008. 27 Jan. 2009 .
 * __Works Cited:__**

This site provides a lot of useful information about the theory of relativity's affect on previous knowledge of gravity, space, time, light, and outer space. Einstein's theory covers the slowing down of time when it is around a massive object, such as a planet as well as the curvature of space around a massive object. This curvature causes an object that is traveling in a straight line to be seen as pulled towards the Earth by gravity.

"Chapter 31. The Possibility of a Finite and Yet Unbounded Universe. Einstein, Albert. 1920. Relativity: The Special and General Theory." Bartleby.com: Great Books Online – Encyclopedia, Dictionary, Thesaurus and hundreds more. 27 Jan. 2009 < http://www.bartleby.com/173/31.html >.

This site provides information about Einstein's theory of relativity. It deals with his thoughts on space and time. It discusses the possibility of a finite yet unbounded universe. 

"greenpagan." __greenpagan__. 27 Jan. 2009 <[|http://greenpagan.blogspot.com]>.
 * __Images:__**

This website does not have much information about the theory of relativity but it does talk about Albert Einstein.

"RAIN National Public Internet." __RAIN National Public Internet__. 27 Jan. 2009 <[|http://www.rain.org]>.

This websited discusses outer space and the planets.

"Real Alien and UFO Pictures Videos Stories Sightings and News." __Real Alien and UFO Pictures Videos Stories Sightings and News__. 27 Jan. 2009 <[|http://alien-ufo-research.com]>.

This website talks about aliens and people who believe they were abducted.

"History Channel | The Universe." __History Channel | The Universe__. 27 Jan. 2009 <[|http://theuniverseshow.blogspot.com]>.

This website is very credible because it is the History Channel online. It discusses the universe in general and its workings.