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= = =  = =Albert Einstein's Theory of Relativity = = = == = =

When faced with the theory of relativity, society could either reject or accept it. There are many consequences or impacts of this decision. Since society has accepted the theories of relativity, there are numerous everyday applications of these. Three examples are the creation of nuclear energy, the concepts of time dilation and length contraction, and helping with the concept of modern cosmology.

= = = = = The General and Special Theories of Relativity =

Albert Einstein published his paper on the Special Theory of Relativity in 1905. This theory proposed that matter and energy are related, giving us the equation e=mc^2. This means that time can change based on the speed of a system relative to a frame of reference. Einstein published his treatise on the General Theory of Relativity in 1916. This theory proposes that matter causes space to curve. This theory also explains that a steady gravitational pull is equal to a steady acceleration. An example of this is that a person would not be able to tell the difference between them being on an elevator that is standing still or accelerating smoothly upward at the rate of 32 ft/sec^2. Albert Einstein based his theories off of a principle of relativity by an Italian physicist and astronomer, Galileo. (NCSA).

= Relativity and Nuclear Power =

One of the everyday applications of the theories of relativity is the concept of the creation of nuclear power. The relationship between mass and energy as stated in the Theory of Relativity, e=mc^2, where energy (E) is equal to the mass (m) times the speed of light (c) squared. When mass is converted into energy, this produces the heat energy that gets converted into electric energy in nuclear power plants. This mass-to-energy conversion also results in the power of nuclear weapons. A small amount of mass is able to release a large amount of energy because the speed of light is so high (186,000 miles per second) (Dine, Michael). Nuclear power is an everyday application of the theory of relativity because the theory is all about the relationship between mass and energy, and nuclear power is just the use of that relationship.

= Relativity and Perceptions =

Another impact on society of accepting Einstein's Theories of Relativity is the concept of time dilation and length contraction. Without the theories of relativity, these concepts would not be valid, and the phenomenon would not make sense. In time dilation, Einstein states that if there are two observers moving relative to each other at close to the speed of light, say on a spaceship, with clocks on each ship, then each person would observe the clock on the other ship moving slower than the clock on their own ship, by a factor of gamma. When the speed of the object is much less than the speed of light, the gamma is equal to 1. But in fact, both clocks are moving at the same rate as each other. Also, consider that the observers in the previous statement also had meter sticks in the ship with them along with the clocks. According to length contraction, each observer would see that the other person’s meter stick would be shorter than their own, by a factor of gamma. (SLAC).

= Relativity and the Universe =

A third impact on society of accepting the theories of relativity is the concept of modern cosmology. After the General Theory of Relativity was published, there were many experiments done to prove this theory, and many of those experiments helped pave the way for modern cosmology. Stars' orbital motions decline over time and the General Theory of Relativity states that the energy dissipates as gravitational radiation, or waves. Gravitational waves are not disturbed by matter or time, unlike electromagnetic radiation. If modern scientists are able to detect these gravitational waves, we could find out a lot more about the physics of our universe and how it was created. The basis of finding out how our universe was created would have been in the general theory of relativity (NCSA).

There are many impacts of society accepting the theories of relativity, and most, if not all, of these impacts are for the good. There are three real life applications of these theories that are beneficial to daily life or research today. These are the creation of nuclear energy, the concept of time dilation, and the concept of modern cosmology. In the future, if the theories of relativity were to be disproved, our way of thinking of many concepts would be different. It would also change the way we view the universe as we know it. If these theories were to be disproved, the concepts that form the basis of our understanding of the space-time continuum and astronomy would no longer be valid.

Works Cited

Dine, Michael. "Relativity." World Book Online Reference Center. 2004. World Book, Inc. 27 Jan 2009 . This website is a very valid and credible site to use. The author has a Ph.D. and he is the Professor of Physics at the University of California, Santa Cruz, so he is very qualified to contribute to this site. This website is governed by NASA, so the information is credible and reliable.

"General Relativity." ncsa.uiuc.edu. NCSA. 1995. 27 Jan 2009 . This website is about both the general and specific theories of relativity. This website was put on the web by the National Center for Supercomputing Applications, a branch campus of the University of Illinois. THis website raises some interesting facts about space.

"Physics: Albert Einstein Theory of Relativity: WSM in Absolute Space explainsAlbert Einstein's Theory of Relativity." __On Truth and Reality: Philosophy

Physics Metaphysics of Space, Wave Structure Matter. Famous Science Art Quotes__. 27 Jan. 2009 . This website is a very valuable website. There are a lot of scientific papers reference and there are many different sides of the issue, so this site is not biased.  "Theory: Special Relativity (SLAC VVC)." __SLAC Public Website Server__. 27 Jan. 2009 . This website is also very reliable and a good source to use. This site is run by Stanford University for the Department of Energy, so the information is credible. This site explains the general and specific theories of relativity.