But we already know that it cannot ultimately be the correct theory for space and time. So, there is no doubt that General Relativity works extremely well. It also predicts gravitational waves, which we have observed. General Relativity predicts black holes, and it predicts just how the black hole shadow looks, which is what we have observed. It predicts that time runs more slowly in gravitational potentials, which is correct. General Relativity further predicts that the universe should expand, which it does. The same effect also gives rise to gravitational lensing, which we have also observed. It predicts that light rays bend around massive objects, like the sun, which we have observed. ![]() General Relativity is an extremely well-confirmed theory. The difference between General Relativity and Special Relativity is that in Special Relativity space-time is flat, like a sheet of paper, while in General Relativity it can be curved, like the often-named rubber sheet. Both are based on “observer-independence”, that is the idea that the laws of nature should not depend on the motion of an observer. They deform in the presence of matter and not only matter, but really all types of energies, including pressure and momentum flux and so on.Įinstein called his theory “General Relativity” because it’s a generalization of Special Relativity. This means that, according to Einstein, space and time are responsive. Matter curves space-time in its vicinity, and this curvature in return affects how matter moves. ![]() Today I want to explain how we know that the way Einstein thought about gravity cannot be correct.Įinstein’s idea was that gravity is not a force, but it is really an effect caused by the curvature of space and time.
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