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Albert Einstein was a revolutionary thinker for his time. Using previously developed theories and knowledge, he came up with his theory of relativity. Galilean relativity (objects at a constant velocity act in the same manner as those at rest) was essential to Einstein's theories. .
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Calculations involving Galilean relativity are an important part of the background of Einstein's theories. These calculations are known as Galilean transformations. James Clerk Maxwell reasoned that electromagnetic waves existed and traveled at the speed of light. Heinrich Hertz discovered of electromagnetic waves which confirmed Maxwell's theory. Physicists reasoned that, if light consisted of waves, the waves had to travel through some substance much like waves through water. They called the substance ether. The Michelson- Morley experiment tried to prove Galilean relativity. They thought you could use Galilean transformations to calculate the speed of the rays relative to your location. Light was calculated to be at the same speed no matter which direction it came from.

All theses ideas and results were critical for Einstein to succeed later with his own theory. Since no evidence had been found to prove the existence of ether, Einstein threw the idea out and came up with the theory of special relativity. The theory had two major parts. The first was there is no ether, and the speed of light is the same for all observers. The second principle said laws of nature are the same in all inertial frames. Everything is relative. There is no "absolute rest frame" and no "absolute (constant) velocity. " For example, if you are standing at a train station and a train passes you at forty miles per hour, it can be said that you are passing the train at forty miles an hour. Velocity and rest are relative, dependent on the frame of reference. 10 years later, Einstein published his theory of general relativity. General relativity proposed matter causes space to curve. Einstein theorized that smaller masses(the earth) travel toward larger masses(the sun) not because they are attracted to it, but because the smaller objects travel through space, warped by the larger object
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-General relativity indicates that gravitational waves transmit gravitational force. Scientists observed two neutron stars and discovered their orbital paths were shrinking. This was due to gravitational waved being emitted from the two stars. -In 1922, The big bang theory was formulated by the Russian mathematician and meteorologist Alexander Friedmann. Friedmann began with Einstein's equations of general relativity and found a solution to those equations in which the universe began in a state of extremely high density and temperature and then expanded in time, thinning out and cooling as it did so.
 * Further Advancements in astrology can be acredited to Einstein.**

-One of the most famous equations in history came from the his theory of special relativity, E=mc2, and is now used in physics. An object at rest has an energy (E) equal to its mass (m) times the speed of light (c) squared. The value of c is now known to be 186,282 miles (299,792 kilometers) per second(Dine). -Calculations using this equation are far more accurate than those of Sir Isaac Newton. However, it is only relevant when an object is moving close to the speed of light (Dine). -How the sun and stars produced energy was determined from Einstein's theory. Conversion of mass into energy produces light.(Dine). -The theory of relativity is responsible for further advancements in nuclear half-life of the decay process. Such informaton is useful for carbon dating("Relativity") -The relativistic expression for the energy of a particle of mass (m) with momentum (//p)// is //E2 = m2c4 + p2c2//. This is pertinent for any particle, giving the relationship between its energy (//E)//, momentum ( //p)//, and its mass (//m)// ("Relativity"). -Einstein thought outside of the box. No one at the time would have thought of gravity equivalent to acceleration as a bending in time and space (Lightman). -Using relativity equations the earth was determined to be nearly 10 billion years old ( Lightman). -The idea that stars could collapse to form black holes was first theorized in 1939 by J. Robert Oppenheimer and Hartland Snyder. The two physicists manipulated the equations of Einstein's general relativity. Ironically, Einstein did no believe in black holes.
 * Einstein is one of the pioneers of modern Physics.**
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-The theory of relativity can be said to be responsible for nuclear fisson and fusion. -The practice of relativity produces the heat energy that is converted to electric energy in nuclear power plants. -Mass-to-energy conversion is responsible for the tremendous destructive force of nuclear weapons (Dine)
 * The Theory of relativity advanced society as a whole**

The theory of relativity is the foundation of modern physics, has led to other theories and ideas in the field of astrology, and has advanced society as a whole. It has had many positive affects, but like many other great theories it has had a negative affect, nuclear weapons. Relativity carried us through the 20th century and into the 21th century. It opened up limitless windows in the field of science. The impossible became possible all thanks to Einstein.


 * Works Cited**

Dine, Micheal. "Relativity." __NASA__. 3 Feb. 2009 <[]>.

This website had the best description of relativity out of any of the other websites I went to. Every part of the theory was explained. Great examples were given to illustrate relativity. Fantastic background information of the theory was given. Extensive detail was given about other theories derived from Einstein's theory. This site is very creditable. It is a government agency so it must be legitimate.

Lightman, Alan. __NOVA__. 3 Feb. 2009 <[]>.

This is a great site for a general explanation. It tells the relevence of the theory of relativity in everyday life. Black holes and the big bang are based off of the theory of relativity. The author is qualified to write about such a meaningful topic. Lightman is a physicist and novelist, and is currently Adjunct Professor of Humanities at MIT. The information is new, site created in 2005.

"Relativity." __SLAC__. 3 Feb. 2009 <[]>.

SLAC tests theory of relativity. They have found it to be true so far.This site made for researching relativity and its uses. Mass and energy are interchangable. The group is probably more qualified than anyone else (except Einstein) to write the site. They have tested and worked with the theory of relativity( under the government and Stanford). This information goes hand in hand with all other information I have looked up before.