Information about special and general relativity

In summary, when researching special and general relativity on the internet, it is important to be cautious of the information being presented. It is best to stick with sites from reliable sources such as larger universities or those maintained by recognized authors. One such author is Patricia Schwarz, a Caltech PhD physicist known for her popularization of string theory. She is also a passionate advocate for feminism, diversity, and inclusion in the scientific community. Despite not agreeing on all topics, she is highly respected by readers like wolram and Marcus for her knowledge and contributions to the field.
  • #1
wolram
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http://science.uniserve.edu.au/school/curric/stage6/phys/space/relativ.html

There are many, many sites on the web with information about special and general relativity. Unfortunately this is an area which attracts the crazies, and you have to be very careful about whether you can trust the information you read. This is particularly true because the syllabus asks teacher and students to speculate on topics which are not, as yet, mainstream physics, which takes you well into the realms of science fiction, and it becomes harder and harder to recognize the dividing line. It is best to stick with sites from the larger universities, or maintained by authors whose credentials you recognize
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what do you think about this site? there are lots of links
i have looked at a few and find them informative esp for
introduction to subject.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
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  • #2


Originally posted by wolram
what do you think about this site? there are lots of links
i have looked at a few and find them informative esp for
introduction to subject. [/B]

The site is by Patricia Schwarz
She is a caltech phd physicist
http://www.theory.caltech.edu/people/patricia/index.html
she is a talented and passionate popularizer of string theory
the creator of the "official string theory" website
http://superstringtheory.com/
she also did the "John Schwarz 60th Birthday" website where
all the other string greats came and gave talks in his honor
in, I think, 2001.
she is passionate about several important causes, feminism
bringing more women into science, anti-racism (the fact that the greatest russian poet was Pushkin who suffered because of his part African makeup), respect for gays.
I wish she were also passionate supporter and explainer of research in the directions of quantizing General Relativity (the current efforts in loop gravity and spin foams). She has impressive talent, intelligence, and energy, and a great urge to teach using the Web.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
  • #3
wow MARCUS are you john doe, or do you have a file
on everybody who is somebody, very impresive.
 
  • #4
Originally posted by wolram
wow MARCUS are you john doe, or do you have a file
on everybody who is somebody, very impresive.
you and I are both thoughtful readers of the web
and use (I suspect) essentially the same gathering methods:
namely backspace in the URL field
and follow links. You gave me my first patricia link
and I followed leads. In this case it was easy and
all that stuff came right up. Not only don't I have
a file but also unfortunately my memory is lousy.
I think she is a neat lady regardless of the fact that
I don't agree with her on every topic.
 

1. What is the difference between special and general relativity?

Special relativity deals with the laws of physics in inertial reference frames, while general relativity includes the effects of gravity and acceleration on these laws.

2. What are the main principles of special relativity?

The main principles of special relativity include the constancy of the speed of light, the relativity of simultaneity, and time dilation and length contraction at high speeds.

3. How does general relativity explain gravity?

General relativity explains gravity as the curvature of spacetime caused by the presence of mass and energy. Objects with mass create a dent in spacetime, causing other objects to move towards it.

4. How does special relativity affect our understanding of time and space?

Special relativity shows that time and space are relative to the observer's frame of reference. Time can appear to pass at different rates for different observers depending on their relative speeds, and objects can appear to have different lengths depending on the observer's motion.

5. What are some practical applications of relativity?

Some practical applications of relativity include GPS systems, which need to account for time dilation due to the satellites' high speeds, and particle accelerators, which use special relativity to accelerate particles to near the speed of light.

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