How was Einsteins understanding of the universe formed by his theory of relativity?

LSulayman

How was Einsteins understanding of the universe formed by his theory of relativity?

russ_watters

The question doesn't make much sense to me...it is redundant (the theory of Relativity is an understanding of the universe). Could you elaborate/reword?

LSulayman

Well, Einstein came up with the theory of Relativity, but how does the theory relate to the universe? What is link? How does it explain the universe?
If I'm still not making any sense, just say it and I'll try to explain myself again.

Btw, that was actually a question my teacher asked me...so I'm also trying to find out what he meant.

russ_watters

A theory is a description of how the universe operates.

LSulayman

Then how and why did Einstein come up with his model of the universe?

russ_watters

He applied logic and math to experimental evidence is the "how". The "why"....I guess he found scientific inquiry more interesting than being a patent examiner!

cepheid

The usefulness of general relativity (GR) to cosmology comes about as follows:

GR, as you know, provides an explanation of gravity. It says that mass (or energy) curves spacetime, and the curvature of spacetime tells objects how to move.

Therefore, GR provides a theoretical framework for understanding the structure of spacetime. In particular, it says that the geometry of the universe depends upon its matter and energy content. So GR makes predictions about the geometry (open, closed, flat) of the universe, as well as its dynamics (static, contracting, expanding). One of the first useful applications of GR was to try to model the universe, and it provided a natural explanation for Hubble's* observations of a uniformly expanding universe.

*the astronomer, not the space telescope.