Relativity: Einstein's Greatest Achievement Part 2

   Throughout the universe, there is a perpetuating field called the fabric of space-time. For simplifying purposes, imagine the universe as a thin rubber sheet completely stretched out. In this flat space-time, Einstein proposed that objects with mass made "dents". These dents were the gravity field we feel. So if you placed, say, a bowling ball on this sheet, it would bend downward pretty far. Then toss a marble around this dent so that it is falling towards the bowling ball, but always missing and swinging around via its inertial energy. Now imagine the bowling ball as the Sun and the tiny marble is our Earth. This is a fairly accurate representation of gravity and orbits of objects, but is visualized here as being two-dimensional. Einstein found that matter does not pull objects; rather, space pushes them.

  So Einstein established the theory of curved space-time. This warp of space could be verified by measuring the bending of a light ray around an object of a sufficient gravitational field. The Sun is the nearest object with such a high mass, so an experiment was put forth to use known star positions that were behind the Sun and, during a solar eclipse, measure if the stars appeared to be around the Sun, rather than behind it as illustrated below:

   In 1919, Arthur Eddington led an expedition to a total solar eclipse at the time and found the star light to indeed be deflected from its true position. This verified general relativity and the theory became accepted by the scientific community.

   So back to E=mc². This equation meant that the amount of energy trapped in a tiny atomic nucleus is massive. By splitting an atom, the energy released in a controlled reaction could power our civilization forever. Unfortunately, this equation was weaponized and reincarnated as the atomic bomb, much to Einstein's and many modern physicists' horror. The energy contained in atoms is violently and graphically illustrated in the Hiroshima and Nagasaki bombings. But the same power responsible for the bombs is also the reason the stars in the sky shine. Nuclear fusion within the cores of stars is what causes them to light up. But that is a lesson for another post.





  

The genius behind the theory: Albert Einstein and his famous equation

   There is little doubt that relativity was Einstein's greatest achievement. It revolutionized how we view the world. No longer were space and time separate entities, they were forever united under his theories. Throughout the future posts, we will continue to go back to Einstein, but next post will be about Edwin Hubble and the expansion of the universe. I'll post soon, follow the blog and spread the word. Until then, salutations!