PatriciaK

“‘Relativity teaches us the connection between the different descriptions of one and the same reality’” (“Special and General Relativity”). Albert Einstein published his Theory of Relativity between the years 1905 and 1916; in it are two sections including general and special relativity. Special relativity describes particles moving close to the speed of light, and general relativity is a mathematical theory of free motion in curved space-times. The theory was written very meticulously, but since the time when Einstein first created it, research in the past twenty years has developed new information to prove and disprove his thoughts. Although scientists have attempted to find errors or faults in Einstein’s theory, but no one has yet been capable of influencing people enough that he or she has disproved his theories completely. Research since Einstein’s time has transformed some of his discoveries concerning special relativity, general relativity, and the Big Bang theory in reference to Einstein’s theory of relativity. Special relativity:
 * The Theory of Relativity **

The theory of special relativity contains two postulates, something taken as self-evident or assumed without proof as a basis for reasoning. These two postulates are referenced in an article entitled “Special Relativity” stating, “ The speed of light is the same for all observers, no matter what their relative speeds. The laws of physics are the same in any inertial (that is, non-accelerated) frame of reference. This means that the laws of physics observed by a hypothetical observer traveling with a relativistic particle must be the same as those observed by an observer who is stationary in the laboratory” (Stanford.edu). The first postulate, referring to the speed of light, will be seen the same way by observers, regardless of his or her motion at the time. Provided this information, Einstein was able to define the speed of light by the independent quantity, //c//, a significant constant of nature. This fact does not hold true for massive objects in motion because their velocity in accordance with mine is dependent on both objects motion. The second postulate, an assumption made in the science world, is the idea that we can create rules of nature that do not require our observance. General Relativity:

Einstein’s original theory of relativity, special relativity, dealt only with the speed of light and its impact upon an object’s motion, but he forgot to consider gravity’s impact. The theory was published in 1915, proposing that gravity, as well as motion, can affect the intervals of time and of space. The equivalence principle, the defining idea of general relativity, is that gravity pulling in one direction is equivalent to acceleration in the opposite direction. For example, when one travels in an elevator, one feels the same amount of upward force as one feels of downward force. The theory also states that if  gravity is equal to acceleration, and if motion is also affecting the measurements of space and of time, then gravity also does. Specifically, the gravity of any given object is capable of deviating space and time around it. “ General relativity may be the biggest leap of the scientific imagination in history…No one except Einstein was thinking of gravity as equivalent to acceleration, as a geometrical phenomenon, as a bending of time and space” (Lightman). The big bang theory:

“According to the big bang theory, the universe may keep expanding forever, if its inward gravity is not sufficiently strong to counterbalance the outward motion of galaxies, or it may reach a maximum point of expansion and then start collapsing, growing denser and denser, gradually disrupting galaxies, stars, planets, people, and eventually even individual atoms” (Lightman). Albert Einstein noticed that his equations in the theories were only assuming that the world must be either expanding or contracting, but that it could not be static, standing or fixed in one place, because if this were true, gravity would attract all of the galaxies toward each other. “Einstein's equations tell us - apart from many other things - that the universe is expanding, and that by going back in time there must have been a time when all the galaxies were very close together. And further back when all the stars must have been touching each another, merging to make one great fireball as hot as the inside of a star at 15 million degrees Kelvin” (Mayes). Numbers have been determined by scientists in recent years stating that the universe will continue to expand, growing colder and thinner as time continues. So in turn, the Big Bang Theory, completed by Alexander Friedmann, helped Einstein to ensure that the information he used for the general relativity theory is accurate. Einstein’s Theory of Relativity was developed through two separate theories entitled special relativity and general relativity. Both of these theories have greatly impacted the world of science, and without them, we would not know as much about the universe’s relationship with the speed of light and gravity. Person describing Einstein’s opinion of himself, “ He understood himself as a philosopher as much as a scientist, and he was ready to discuss philosophical issues at any time, particularly matters involving Relativity. The philosophical aspect of Relativity forced people to think differently about the universe. Suddenly, the cosmos was not a God-created clockwork anymore, but a totality of disparate realities with the same basic natural laws” (“Special and General Relativity”). Research since Einstein’s time has restated and developed some of his discoveries related to special relativity, general relativity, and the Big Bang theory’s connection to the theory. Einstein’s Theory of Relativity constantly reminds people of different ways to view our one reality.  

** Annotated Works Cited  ** Lightman, Alan. "Relativity and the Cosmos." __NOVA Science Programming on Air and Online__ June 2005 26 Jan 2009 . It explains the theory of relativity, special and general relativity, and the impacts of the speed of light and gravity upon the different parts of the theory. It also discusses the start of all of these scientists developing the theories, and how they were able to do all that they did. The article explains to the reader what a risk Einstein took when he said what he did about space and time. The article is very informative, and was the most helpful to me in my analysis of the theory. All of the information I gathered was unbiased. Mayes, Keith. "The Big Bang Theory." __Science, The Universe and God__ 2004 26 Jan 2009 . This article describes the Big Bang Theory and why it was formed. Einstein used the idea of the Big Bang Theory to help him develop his theory of relativity. The page helps to explain why Einstein used it. The site is very useful, and unbiased. “Special and General Relativity (Albert Einstein)." __TheBigView.com__ 17 Mar 2008 26 Jan 2009 . This article describes both theories, special and general relativity. It also provides the reader with Einstein's background, and how he came to discover the information he needed to develop the theory. The article is not biased, and is explained in a way that it is easy to understand. "Special Relativity." __Stanford.edu__ 31 Oct 2008 26 Jan 2009 . This site describes in detail, special relativity, the firt part of Einstein's Theory of Relativity. It also explains the speed of light, and it's importance in the theory. The article is not biased, but purely factual. It also provides the reader with all of the "basic" equations that he used in creation of special relativity.