Special and General Relativity Forum

Post thread
Join in expert discussion on special and general relativity discussion. Relativity is the dependence of various physical phenomena on relative motion of the observer and the observed objects.
High School Where did the 1/2 go in E=mc^2?
  • · Replies 124 ·
5
Replies
124
Views
18K
High School Is Gravity Really a Force Like the Other Fundamental Forces?
  • · Replies 12 ·
Replies
12
Views
2K
High School Proof of Specific Covariant Divergence
  • · Replies 2 ·
Replies
2
Views
2K
High School Special Theory of Relativity: Ques on Thought Experiment
  • · Replies 5 ·
Replies
5
Views
2K
High School Question about the rest frame of a photon
  • · Replies 6 ·
Replies
6
Views
2K
Graduate Applying General Lorentz Boost to Multipartite Quantum State
  • · Replies 2 ·
Replies
2
Views
2K
Undergrad Is Relativity a Complete Theory? Investigating Math Formulation
  • · Replies 6 ·
Replies
6
Views
2K
Undergrad Relativistic Energy of Rotating Thin Ring: Quick Qs
  • · Replies 13 ·
Replies
13
Views
3K
Graduate Why does MTW keep calling the "product rule" the "chain rule"?
  • · Replies 42 ·
2
Replies
42
Views
6K
Graduate Derivation of the Vacuum Einstein Equations: Understanding ln det g = 1
  • · Replies 8 ·
Replies
8
Views
2K
Undergrad Problems with Einstein's 1920 "Relativity"
  • · Replies 58 ·
2
Replies
58
Views
9K
Undergrad Is the Lorentz Boost Speed Nontrivially Related to Galilean Speed?
  • · Replies 10 ·
Replies
10
Views
2K
High School But in reality, time isn't relative at all, right?
  • · Replies 20 ·
Replies
20
Views
4K
Graduate Issue with the definition of a Lie derivative and its components (Carroll's GR)
  • · Replies 14 ·
Replies
14
Views
3K
Undergrad How does gravity affect time on different planets?
  • · Replies 4 ·
Replies
4
Views
6K
Undergrad Succeed in Learning Relativity: Transport, Frames, Tensors
  • · Replies 9 ·
Replies
9
Views
2K
Undergrad How do you derive those basis vectors in GR?
  • · Replies 14 ·
Replies
14
Views
4K
Undergrad Communication with Rindler Observer: Is It Possible?
  • · Replies 17 ·
Replies
17
Views
2K
Undergrad Relativity of Simultaneity: What Einstein's Contribution Was
  • · Replies 4 ·
Replies
4
Views
2K
Undergrad Okay, what exactly makes a timelike curve closed?
  • · Replies 18 ·
Replies
18
Views
4K
Undergrad Three dimensional tracefree tensor?
  • · Replies 4 ·
Replies
4
Views
1K
High School Universe Becoming a Black Hole: What Would It Look Like?
  • · Replies 15 ·
Replies
15
Views
2K
Undergrad On the Relativity of Lengths and Times
  • · Replies 14 ·
Replies
14
Views
4K
Undergrad Applying the spacetime interval to regular vectors instead of curves
  • · Replies 2 ·
Replies
2
Views
1K
High School Can a rod survive dipping into a supermassive black hole's event horizon?
  • · Replies 9 ·
Replies
9
Views
2K
Graduate Einstein, Mach's Principle, and the Speed of Light Limit
  • · Replies 28 ·
Replies
28
Views
6K
Undergrad Velocity u > c? Faster Than Light Comm?
  • · Replies 7 ·
Replies
7
Views
2K
Graduate Only Three People Understand General Relativity
  • · Replies 24 ·
Replies
24
Views
15K
Undergrad Proper (and coordinate) times re the Twin paradox
  • · Replies 330 ·
12
Replies
330
Views
34K
Undergrad Duration of a round-trip to Alpha Centauri
  • · Replies 21 ·
Replies
21
Views
5K
Undergrad Locally Cartesian Coordinates on the Sphere
  • · Replies 10 ·
Replies
10
Views
2K
High School Dark Matter -- Could dark matter be standard matter from the past?
  • · Replies 14 ·
Replies
14
Views
2K
Undergrad Gravity: Empty Universe & 2 Apples 10B Light Years Apart
  • · Replies 24 ·
Replies
24
Views
3K
Graduate Can Time Travel Teleportation Be Achieved with Computer Bytes and Radio Signals?
  • · Replies 2 ·
Replies
2
Views
2K
Graduate When and Why Was the Definition of the Meter Changed?
  • · Replies 101 ·
4
Replies
101
Views
13K
Undergrad Understanding Boosts in Misner Space: Where Do They Come From?
  • · Replies 6 ·
Replies
6
Views
2K
High School Difficulty with derivatives using the Lorentz transformations
  • · Replies 10 ·
Replies
10
Views
2K
High School Does Local Gravity Override Dark Matter in Galactic Rotation?
  • · Replies 35 ·
2
Replies
35
Views
4K
Undergrad Lorentz Transformations: Linearity & Best Argument
  • · Replies 5 ·
Replies
5
Views
2K
Graduate Time Dilation in Gravitational Fields: Are Equivalent Formulas?
  • · Replies 2 ·
Replies
2
Views
1K
High School Lightyear Distance: Understand Its Impact
  • · Replies 9 ·
Replies
9
Views
2K
Undergrad Apply Conservation Law to Euler-Lagrange Equation
  • · Replies 4 ·
Replies
4
Views
2K
Undergrad Light Cone in Rindler Coordinates: Visualization & Reasoning
  • · Replies 6 ·
Replies
6
Views
3K
Undergrad Headlight Effect of Moving Light Source: Formula
  • · Replies 3 ·
Replies
3
Views
2K
High School Physics near the event horizon
  • · Replies 39 ·
2
Replies
39
Views
5K
Undergrad Learn About Conservation Law & Geodesic Equation
  • · Replies 10 ·
Replies
10
Views
2K
Undergrad Shouldn't a moving clock appear to be ticking faster instead of slower?
  • · Replies 71 ·
3
Replies
71
Views
9K
Undergrad Rindler Coordinates & Quadrants: Resolving an Issue
  • · Replies 4 ·
Replies
4
Views
1K
High School Is Gravity Truly a Force According to Relativity?
  • · Replies 29 ·
Replies
29
Views
4K
Undergrad Solving Geodesic Equations with Godel Metric
  • · Replies 4 ·
Replies
4
Views
3K
Undergrad Is this the only form of the Minkowski metric?
  • · Replies 34 ·
2
Replies
34
Views
3K
Undergrad Curved Space-Time: Understanding How Nothing Has Shape
  • · Replies 29 ·
Replies
29
Views
4K
High School Finding the length of a metre stick from a moving frame of reference
  • · Replies 9 ·
Replies
9
Views
2K
Undergrad Visualizing Intrinsic Curvature: Is This a Good Practise?
  • · Replies 6 ·
Replies
6
Views
2K
Undergrad Bernard Schutz Proves Invariance of Interval
  • · Replies 6 ·
Replies
6
Views
3K
Undergrad What Makes Closed Timelike Curves Physically Possible in Godel Universes?
  • · Replies 7 ·
Replies
7
Views
3K
High School Is Time a Real and Material Concept?
  • · Replies 16 ·
Replies
16
Views
2K
High School Deriving Lorentz Transformation: Wave Eq Invariance & General Relativity
  • · Replies 1 ·
Replies
1
Views
2K
High School Possibility of Black Hole research
  • · Replies 51 ·
2
Replies
51
Views
6K
Undergrad Extracting Info from a Black Hole: Robert's Hypothetical Process
  • · Replies 11 ·
Replies
11
Views
2K
High School Time Dilation & Relative Motion: Who Measures Proper Time?
  • · Replies 13 ·
Replies
13
Views
2K
Graduate Critique of Non-Interaction Theorem: Meaning & Validity
  • · Replies 3 ·
Replies
3
Views
2K
Undergrad Is this a closed spacelike curve?
  • · Replies 5 ·
Replies
5
Views
3K
High School Finding Flaws in General Relativity: A Question of Knowledge
  • · Replies 4 ·
Replies
4
Views
2K
Undergrad Metric Nomenclature: Lorentz & Minkowski
  • · Replies 5 ·
Replies
5
Views
2K
Undergrad What is the physical cause behind time dilation?
  • · Replies 41 ·
2
Replies
41
Views
6K
Graduate Synchrotron Radiation: Charge Loss of Relativistic Particles in Magnetic Fields
  • · Replies 9 ·
Replies
9
Views
2K
High School Confusion over relative velocities and reference frames
  • · Replies 5 ·
Replies
5
Views
2K
Undergrad Does G effectively change in an expanding metric?
  • · Replies 15 ·
Replies
15
Views
2K
High School Simultaneity & Non-Invariant Variables: Is the Speed of Light Necessary?
  • · Replies 3 ·
Replies
3
Views
2K
Graduate Does anyone know asymmetric dynamic global solutions to Einstein eqs?
  • · Replies 3 ·
Replies
3
Views
1K
High School Traveling backwards through time: clarification please
  • · Replies 28 ·
Replies
28
Views
3K
Undergrad How can the stress tensor be non-zero where there is no matter?
  • · Replies 42 ·
2
Replies
42
Views
6K
High School Beginner Resources for Special & General Relativity
  • · Replies 7 ·
Replies
7
Views
2K
Undergrad Calculate Time & Distance Dilations: 50k Years & 1 Day
  • · Replies 16 ·
Replies
16
Views
4K
Graduate Black Hole Eating Gravitational Waves - A Look at Physics
  • · Replies 14 ·
Replies
14
Views
2K
High School Questions about Einstein and the Block Universe
  • · Replies 1 ·
Replies
1
Views
2K
High School Matter & Spacetime: How Tightly Coupled Are They?
  • · Replies 16 ·
Replies
16
Views
2K
Undergrad Exact Stationary Spacetimes: Complete List of Discovered Solutions
  • · Replies 8 ·
Replies
8
Views
2K
Undergrad Realistic Time Dilation for Objects > Subatomic Particles
  • · Replies 10 ·
Replies
10
Views
2K
Undergrad Is Special Relativity Creating a Paradox in Our Understanding of Time and Space?
  • · Replies 2 ·
Replies
2
Views
2K
Undergrad Faster Than Light Particle: Could it Create the Universe?
  • · Replies 3 ·
Replies
3
Views
2K
High School Speed of Light: Michelson-Morley Experiment Revisited
  • · Replies 9 ·
Replies
9
Views
2K
Undergrad Observers A & B: Rest & Simultaneity
  • · Replies 3 ·
Replies
3
Views
1K
Undergrad Usefulness of Diagrams for Relativity: 1-5
  • · Replies 7 ·
Replies
7
Views
1K
Undergrad Spacetime Geodesics at Sea Level & Zoomed Out
  • · Replies 4 ·
Replies
4
Views
1K
Undergrad Relativistic centrifugal force
  • · Replies 59 ·
2
Replies
59
Views
8K
High School Gravitational Effects on Aging
  • · Replies 13 ·
Replies
13
Views
2K
Undergrad Velocity Addition: Angled Motion Explained
  • · Replies 8 ·
Replies
8
Views
1K
High School Does Dark Energy Explain the Expansion of Space in Relativity?
  • · Replies 4 ·
Replies
4
Views
2K
Undergrad Unknown velocity vector of a rail carraige
  • · Replies 12 ·
Replies
12
Views
2K
Graduate Inquiry on Matrix Tensor Notation & Meaning in Curved Spacetime
  • · Replies 10 ·
Replies
10
Views
2K
Undergrad Proper vs. coordinate acceleration
  • · Replies 37 ·
2
Replies
37
Views
8K
Undergrad Hubble's Law and Star Velocity
  • · Replies 40 ·
2
Replies
40
Views
5K
Graduate Derive 4-Velocity Components: Anyone Know How?
  • · Replies 6 ·
Replies
6
Views
2K
High School Gravity -- a force or a cause of a force?
  • · Replies 16 ·
Replies
16
Views
4K
Undergrad Deriving tensor transformation laws
  • · Replies 3 ·
Replies
3
Views
3K
Undergrad How Does Time Dilation Affect Space Travel Duration?
  • · Replies 7 ·
Replies
7
Views
2K
High School Attribution of Reference Frame: A Dilettante's Question
  • · Replies 5 ·
Replies
5
Views
2K
Undergrad Derivation of the Lorentz transformations
  • · Replies 28 ·
Replies
28
Views
4K