MattR

**Although still considered a theory, and not 100% proven, Einstein's Theory of Relativity is widely accepted by the science community after decades of scientific experimentation. The theory of relativity is perhaps the most successful development in the history of science in terms of its agreement with experimental results and its ability to predict new phenomena. (Curious) Einstein has helped explain many phenomena that humans have wondered about since the beginning of our existence. In 1905, Albert Einstein published his theory of special relativity, which showed that among inertial frames of reference there was no "preferred" frame. The development of general relativity came about, in part, as an attempt to show that this was true among non-inertial (i.e. - accelerating) frames of reference as well. By 1912, Einstein was working on a general theory of relativity that would explain special relativity as well as gravitation. In 1915, Albert published a set of differential equations, Einstein field equations, that defined the universe as a geometric system of time and spatial dimensions. Ever since, scientists have conducted countless experiments to prove his theory.**

**The Einstein Shift is an event that occurs due to the theory of relativity. It is the bending of light around a star as it approaches Earth. The light loses some energy in the process and becomes redder in color, giving the it the more common name, redshift. This theory was proved when an American astronomer Walter S. Adams solved a technical problem of detecting the Einstein Shift. He examined a white dwarf star known as Sirius B., which has an extremely high gravitational field. Adams thought the redshift of light due to gravity might be easier to detect around a white dwarf, and he was right. Through his experiment, he indirectly proved Einstein's general theory of relativity. (DISCovering U.S. History) This is just one example of how extensively tested Albert's theory has been throughout the years.** **In order to understand the general theory of relativity, one has to throw out his "common sense" and much of what one knows about the universe. This is because Albert Einstein's theory fundamentally changed the was we understand gravity and the universe. (Lerner) For centuries, mankind has sought to understand the planet and the stars. It started with Newton's Law and evolved into the general theory of relativity, which, in small gravitational fields reduces down the Newton's Law. (Lerner) It has withstood the test of countles physicists and experimental tests.** 
 * Widely accepted by the scientific community, the theory of relativity will continue to be tested and proved in various ways. As technology progresses, it will become easier to build on the theory and reinforce parts of it that are under speculation. The theory will continue to predict cosmic phenomena that have baffled us for centuries and will lead us to a further understanding of the universe and our place in it.**

Madden, Chris. "Einstein's Theory of Relativity CARTOON." __Chris Madden Cartoons__. 27 Jan. 2009 . - Source for the cartoon in the Wiki,

"Curious About Astronomy? The Theory of Relativity." __Curious About Astronomy? Ask an Astronomer__. 27 Jan. 2009 . - A site that could be of use to someone looking for information on any astronomic topic, whether it be relativity or something different. Offers a brief history of the theory, as most quality artciles do, and then the reader recieves some detailed, easy to uderstand explanations of the how the theory is implemented.

"Relativity," Microsoft® Encarta® Online Encyclopedia 2008 [|http://encarta.msn.com] © 1997-2008 Microsoft Corporation. All Rights Reserved. - MSN Encarta is a quality source for information on anything. It gives the reader 2 pages of information on the theory of relativity (general and special). It splits everything up into sub-groups and puts all the relating facts in one place making it very easy to navigate and find the piece of info that you're looking for.

"Spinning in Space." __+ Plus Magazine__. 24 Oct. 2005. 27 Jan. 2009 . - Source for the first photograph in my article.

"Theory of relativity - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia." __Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia__. 27 Jan. 2009 . - Despite what many people may think, Wikipedia is actually pretty good about keeping it's site up-to-date and keeping unqualified or uncited information off it's articles.