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 The  **//theory of relativity//** has impacted society in different ways that have proven to be beneficial to the understanding and analysis of physics. If the theory is proven false, all things we know about physics may change.

In 1915, Albert Einstein published the theory of relativity. The theory expresses that the laws of physics are the same for all observers, no matter what their speed is, and also that the speed of light was constant for everyone regardless of their speed. It was recognized that time was relative and that what we thought was constant, or fixed, was not really truly “constant” or “fixed”. Time depends on the viewpoint and the “circumstances” in which the “constants” were viewed had an effect on the properties that were being measured. The two theories of relativity are known as the Special and General theories of relativity. The Special theory of relativity, developed a little earlier by Einstein in 1905, states that the speed of light is constant for everyone, no matter the relative motion and that the laws of nature are the same in all inertial frames. Therefore, the special theory of relative, states that nothing can travel between two points faster than the speed of light. The General theory of relativity, developed in 1915, expanded Newton’s law of gravitation, which said that there was gravitational action at a distance. Because Newton's law of gravitation disagreed with the special theory, Einstein expanded Newton's law to make it agree with the special theory of relativity, therefore developing the General theory of Relativity.  **Impact on society:**  **GPS Navigation System**      <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">T <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">    <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">he GPS s  <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">    <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">ystem c  <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">    <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">    <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">onsists of 24 satellites in a network and they orbit around the Earth. The GPS system was developed by the United States Department of Defense <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">    <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">to provide the U.S. military with a satellite-based navigation system and then was available for regular citizens as well. For the system to work, the atomic cloc <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">    <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">k within the satellites that provide the information back to Earth have to be accurate within 20-30 nanoseconds.(GPS) For this to happen the concepts fro  <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">    <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">m the Special and General theories of Relativity have to be considered. The Special theory of relativity states that <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">if there is an observer on the ground, they will see the satellites in motion relative to them, meaning that the clocks on the satellites will be slower than the ones on the Earth. (Pogge) <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">The Special theory of relativity predicts that the atomic clocks are slower than the clocks on Earth by 7 microseconds per day. (GPS) However, based on the General theory of relativity, from the Earth, the clocks in the satellite seem to be ticking faster than the clocks here on Earth. By calculating the difference in time between the two using the General and Special theories of relativity, the clocks on the Earth match up with the clocks in the satellite as accurately as possible in order for global positioning to function most efficiently. <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
 * Background Info:**
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">GPS
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Nuclear Energy
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Moral Philosophy

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">**Nuclear Energy**

Another aspect of the theory of relativity is the creation of nuclear energy. (Arora) The theory of relativity states one of the things that Einstein is most famous for: that e=mc^2 which means energy equals mass multiplied by speed of light squared. In the nuclear power plants the way that energy is made is by converting mass into energy, which then produces heat energy. The nuclear energy produced has helped take out the dependency on the non-renewable resources that we use today as well as help the military with nuclear power. <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> Beyond science, another way that the theory of relativity has impacted society is through moral philosophy. Before Einstein, philosophers such as Aristotle and Kant have said that there was an absolute way to approach a certain situation. (Arora) Because of relativity, however, facts which were absolute became that no longer. The theory of relativity now distinguishes that right and wrong depend on each individual. This concept was accepted by many because now there was a validity to each of the person’s actions. <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Moral Philosophy **

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> The general and special theories of relativity combined have greatly altered and impacted our world of physics. Without them, the GPS, nuclear power, and morality within the society would be different or not even exist. We would not be able to make the same technological advances we have made currently without them, and maybe people would still be basing their actions by the absolute reactions to certain situations. It is still hard to imagine what the world would be like without relativity. <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">**Works Cited:** <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> Arora, Hans. "Einstein’s Theory of Relativity: Implications Beyond Science? &mdash; Science in Society." __Home &mdash; Science in Society__. 20 Oct. 2008. 28 Jan. 2009 <http://scienceinsociety.northwestern.edu/content/articles/2008/research-digest/student-papers/einstein/einstein2019s-theory-of-relativity-implications-beyond-science>.

This site was very good for finding great examples of the application of Einstein's Theory of Relativity. It was written in essay form and explained the examples in a way that anyone would be able to understand. Lightman, Alan. "NOVA | Einstein's Big Idea | Relativity (Lightman Essay) | PBS." __PBS__. 28 Jan. 2009 <http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/einstein/relativity/>.

This site was good because it explained the Einstein's Theory of Relativity as well as explained other concepts related to the said topic. The site also provides links that benefits our understanding of the the theory. Pogge, Richard. "GPS and Relativity." __The Ohio State University Department of Astronomy__. 15 Dec. 2004. 28 Jan. 2009 <[|http://www.astronomy.ohio-state.edu/~pogge/Ast162/Unit5/gps.html]>.

One of the examples of application of the theory of relativity was by the use of the GPS Navigation System. This site explained exactly how the theory of relativity was tied to how the GPS worked. The site also provides links within the text that help explain the Special and General Theories of Relativity. "Relativity." __abyss.uoregon.edu Web Server__. 28 Jan. 2009 <[|http://abyss.uoregon.edu/~js/21st_century_science/lectures/lec06.html]>.

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">This site was very helpful in understanding the theory of relativity because it provides examples as well as pictures to represent whatever it is the site is trying to explain about the theory of relativity.