Is General Relativity Incomplete? Exploring Possible Flaws in Einstein's Theory

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In summary: The general rule is to always be open-minded.In summary, the conversation discusses the incompleteness of general relativity and the need for a unified theory of gravity and electromagnetism. It also mentions the attempt to complete the theory by Dr. Mendel Sachs and the concept of renormalization in quantum field theory. The conversation concludes with the idea that being open-minded is important in science and can lead to new ideas and discoveries.
  • #1
eljose79
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In fact has proved lots of time that g.r is true..but in my opinion would not be a complete theory by several reasons:
a)is not "complete" in the sense taht you can add a term whose covariant derivative is 0 but the term is not a constant..so there are infinite Einstein,s equation for gravity.
b)the coupling constant in this theory makes theory non-renormalizable whereas the other theories describng the forces are so the "3 to 1 " means that relativity must also be renormalizagble
Perhaps the situationis like this g.r describes relativity for gtreat distances (cosmology universe) perhaps are some terms left relating high curvature on einstein,s equation these terms should descirbe classically the g.r for greta curvature (small distancess) and must give a renormalizable theory .

So the question is...was einstein wrong?..was einstein a "genious" that made an imcomplete theory of gravitation?..
 
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  • #2
General relativity is extremely accurate for large things. Quantum theory is extremely accurate for small things. However, these two theories are incompatable - for example, trying to describe the inside of a black hole (small volume with large mass), which requires both theories at the same time, leads to nonsense. String theory is an attempt to reconcile this difficulty.
 
  • #3
Actually, that's a very peculiar post. General relativity is a physical theory, therefore it is incomplete. Any theory is necessarily based on information available at that time- as more information becomes available, the theory changes.

What would make you think that anyone everyclaimed general relativity was "complete"?
 
  • #4
my opinion

i don,t agree with you in fct there have been physical theories unchanged ..for example termodinamics or physical statistic.

In fact as i have said before in my first post a complete theory of relativity should include the actual one and give a coupling constant so the theroy is renormalizable , unfortunately einstenian g.r does not so this is why i consider it incomplete.

Perhaps to quantizy gravity using perturbations we should first take another description of g.r (as i know there are some other theories of g.r too) with dimensionless or positive mass dimension before apply quantization.
 
  • #5


Originally posted by eljose79
i don,t agree with you in fct there have been physical theories unchanged ..for example termodinamics or physical statistic.
Just because a theory has never changed does not make it "complete." Hall's is right: a theory by definition is incomplete.
 
  • #6
GR as incomplete theory

I consider GR to be an incomplete theory in the sense that Dr. Einstein left the right side of the equation, describing energy/matter as a phenomenological term. He himself refers to this side of the equation as wood compared to the marble of the left side. In addition, in his own essays he discusses the problems of linking GR to Electromagnetism and describing things like particles in such a theory. Thus the quest for a unified theory of gravitation and electromagnetism.
Dr. Mendel Sachs made an attempt to complete the theory in the mid to late 1960's. His theory can be found in QUANTUM MECHANICS FROM GENERAL RELATIVITY published by Dordrecht Reidel in THE FOUNDATIONS OF PHYSICS SERIES. See KLUWER and Dr. Sachs' website. Some of Dr. Sach's comments regarding the incompleteness of GR can be found in his book Einstein vs. Bohr. This also includes his belief that Quantum Mechanics and the theory of relativity are philosophically incompatible.
Renormalization is needed to correct errors in Quantum Field Theory that lead to infinite results rather than admitting there is an error. But circles don't have to be described using only straight line segments. I see no reason why a general relativistic theory should be renormalizable. It's like telling a thin person they must go on a diet because the obese people have to.
Eventually Einstein will probably be proven wrong in the same way as Newton was proven wrong. Actually neither one was wrong. Each just had an incomplete view. The logic that divides sharply into right vs. wrong is what is really wrong.
If the mule known as Dr. Einstein was right and had a unified theory there would be no need for seeking a SECOND FOUNDATION for Physics and looking at things like superstrings or wondering what an electron,positron or photon REALLY is.
 
  • #7
Witten: You have to be open-minded because ideas come from different places. You can think about something in one way for a long time and it seems like the only way to think about it, but it really isn't. Somebody could make a suggestion that really sounds naïve. It might even be naïve, but it could have an important element of the truth in it. And it could be truth that one's overlooking. So it's really hard to state a general rule. If one could say the general rule about where to find inspiration, we would just teach it to our students and then science would be much more straightforward.
 

1. What is General Relativity?

General Relativity is a theory of gravity developed by Albert Einstein in 1915. It explains how objects with mass or energy cause the fabric of space-time to curve, resulting in the phenomenon of gravity.

2. How does General Relativity differ from Newton's theory of gravity?

While Newton's theory of gravity describes gravity as a force between two masses, General Relativity explains gravity as the curvature of space-time caused by the presence of mass or energy.

3. Can you provide an example of how General Relativity has been proven correct?

One example is the prediction of the bending of light by massive objects, known as gravitational lensing. This phenomenon was observed during a solar eclipse in 1919, providing evidence for the validity of General Relativity.

4. Is General Relativity still considered a valid theory in modern science?

Yes, General Relativity is still considered a valid theory in modern science. It has been extensively tested and has consistently been shown to accurately predict various phenomena, such as the orbit of planets and the behavior of black holes.

5. Are there any current challenges or limitations to General Relativity?

While General Relativity has been extremely successful in explaining many aspects of the universe, there are still some unanswered questions and areas that it does not fully account for, such as the behavior of gravity at the quantum level. Further research and developments in this field are ongoing.

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