Contents



Preface

Some things are absolute and some things are relative. This is a fact of life. If I look at the teapot on my desk, I see that it sits to the left of my cup. If you are sitting opposite me, you will see the teapot to the right of my cup. "Left" and "right" are relative. Whether or not an object is found to the left or to the right of another depends on the observer. While this may be true, if the cup is filled to the top with coffee, all observers should approve this as actual fact, no matter where they sit.

That, it'd seem, is an absolute statement, independent of who makes the

The theory of relativity usually incorporates two interconnected theories by Albert Einstein: special relativity and general relativity. Einstein's special theory of relativity (special relativity) conceived in 1905, available within the paper "On the Electrodynamics of Moving Bodies", is about what's relative and what's absolute

General relativity centers on gravitational, electromagnetic, and velocity fields, as well as functions of space and time, and density distributions that define masses and charges. Space–time is that the arena within which these fields accomplish their combined evolutions. It's therefore clear that we must first grasp the structure and geometry of space–time. Unluckily, because the velocity of light is so big, routine experience leads us to amass various false impressions about the geometry of space– time. This set of mistaken beliefs is known as Newtonian, or Galilean, space–time. The true (or truer) geometry of space–time was revealed through the improvement of Einstein's theory of special relativity. The foundation of this theory is the principle of relativity, in line with which the laws of physics are similar in all inertial reference frames. Einstein ran into the current principle by his investigation of

Special relativity is restricted to things that are moving with regard to inertial frames of reference. That is, during a state of uniform motion with regard to each other, one cannot, by purely mechanical experiments, distinguish one from the opposite. Beginning with the behavior of light (and all other electromagnetic radiation), the theory of special relativity draws conclusions that conflict with daily knowledge, but is fully set by tests that examine subatomic particles at high speeds or measure minor changes between clocks traveling at different velocities. Special relativity discovered that the speed of light is a limit that cannot be reached by any

material thing. It is the origin of the famous scientific equation E = mc<sup>2</sup>

applications in relation to intragalactic and extragalactic dynamics.

that mass and energy are identical physical entities and might be changed one into

This volume deals with extensions of special relativity, general relativity, and their

Together with quantum mechanics, the theory of relativity is fundamental to

, which states

observation.

about time, space, and motion.

Maxwell's equations.

the other.

modern physics.
