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.
Undergrad Uniform acceleration and hyperbola
  • · Replies 11 ·
Replies
11
Views
3K
Undergrad Could I travel to andromeda in my lifetime?
  • · Replies 10 ·
Replies
10
Views
3K
Undergrad Stupid question on index lowering and raising using metric
  • · Replies 17 ·
Replies
17
Views
5K
Graduate Einstein Hilbert action integral
  • · Replies 32 ·
2
Replies
32
Views
5K
Undergrad What is an angle deficit in the curved space in GR?
  • · Replies 28 ·
Replies
28
Views
4K
High School How are matter and spacetime connected above the Planck scale?
  • · Replies 2 ·
Replies
2
Views
1K
Undergrad Are There Black Holes in Galaxy Clusters?
  • · Replies 5 ·
Replies
5
Views
1K
Undergrad LIGO light changes frequency not wavelength
  • · Replies 105 ·
4
Replies
105
Views
10K
Undergrad Radio Comm Between 2 Points Diff Gravity: True?
  • · Replies 3 ·
Replies
3
Views
2K
High School Nobel Prize in Physics for Relativity?
  • · Replies 6 ·
Replies
6
Views
2K
High School Energy Stored in Charged Capacitor: Kaluza-Klein Theory
  • · Replies 3 ·
Replies
3
Views
1K
Graduate Domain Wall Geometries: Continuous Coordinates, Discontinuous Metric
  • · Replies 3 ·
Replies
3
Views
1K
Undergrad Why can't you use Simultaneity when doing Length Contraction
  • · Replies 13 ·
Replies
13
Views
2K
Graduate Lorentz Fitzgerald contraction
  • · Replies 8 ·
Replies
8
Views
2K
Undergrad Need for GR: Historical Indications
  • · Replies 12 ·
Replies
12
Views
2K
Undergrad Exterior Schwarzschild Solution & Gravitational Time Dilation
  • · Replies 10 ·
Replies
10
Views
2K
High School Observeving Black Hole and Time Dilation Question
  • · Replies 15 ·
Replies
15
Views
2K
Undergrad Newtonian 4-Momentum Norm Analogue
  • · Replies 5 ·
Replies
5
Views
2K
Undergrad Cox & Forshaw: Explaining E=mc^2's "Negative" Option
  • · Replies 4 ·
Replies
4
Views
2K
Graduate Physical reasons for having a metric-compatible affine connection?
  • · Replies 28 ·
Replies
28
Views
10K
High School Gravity's Impact on Box w, l, & h: Myths & Facts
  • · Replies 7 ·
Replies
7
Views
1K
Undergrad Total Energy of Particle in Potential: SR Explanation
  • · Replies 4 ·
Replies
4
Views
2K
Undergrad Did the Big Bang separate space and time
  • · Replies 4 ·
Replies
4
Views
2K
Undergrad Vector Transformation Law and Vector Spaces: Is it Abuse?
  • · Replies 1 ·
Replies
1
Views
1K
Undergrad Lines of simultaneity in Twin Paradox spacetime diagram
  • · Replies 8 ·
Replies
8
Views
3K
High School Photon in a Box: Is Light Affected by Volume?
  • · Replies 17 ·
Replies
17
Views
3K
Undergrad What Does the Ricci Tensor Reveal About Einstein's Field Equations?
  • · Replies 4 ·
Replies
4
Views
2K
High School Planck's Length, Length Contraction?
  • · Replies 12 ·
Replies
12
Views
3K
High School How Far Is It To The Center Of The Milky Way/Tootsie Pop?
  • · Replies 13 ·
Replies
13
Views
2K
Undergrad Metric for Infinite Rod in Gen. Relativity
  • · Replies 1 ·
Replies
1
Views
1K
Undergrad Spatial geometry of constant Schwarzschild time hypersurface
  • · Replies 20 ·
Replies
20
Views
3K
Undergrad Is Flamm's paraboloid a paraboloid?
  • · Replies 14 ·
Replies
14
Views
5K
High School Is Gravity Trapped Inside Black Holes?
  • · Replies 13 ·
Replies
13
Views
2K
Graduate Solving Exact Gravitational Plane Wave Confusion
  • · Replies 6 ·
Replies
6
Views
2K
Undergrad Action in Relativity: Non-Relativistic vs Relativistic Particles
  • · Replies 8 ·
Replies
8
Views
2K
Undergrad Deriving EM Energy Conservation from Lagrangian
  • · Replies 2 ·
Replies
2
Views
2K
Undergrad Relationship between quadratic and square-root lagrangians
  • · Replies 9 ·
Replies
9
Views
2K
Undergrad Time dilation time travel for novel - I need a calculation
  • · Replies 16 ·
Replies
16
Views
2K
Undergrad Does the 1 Second after the Big Bang = 1 second now?
  • · Replies 10 ·
Replies
10
Views
3K
Graduate Metric with Harmonic Coefficient and General Relativity
  • · Replies 1 ·
Replies
1
Views
2K
Graduate Speed of Light in All Reference Frames: A Question
  • · Replies 9 ·
Replies
9
Views
2K
Undergrad Gravitational Lagrangian density
  • · Replies 22 ·
Replies
22
Views
3K
High School Is Gravity Really Just Curved Spacetime?
  • · Replies 43 ·
2
Replies
43
Views
5K
High School Understanding Minkowski Diagrams in Special Relativity
  • · Replies 9 ·
Replies
9
Views
3K
Undergrad Why does time dilation affect all clocks equally?
  • · Replies 35 ·
2
Replies
35
Views
5K
Undergrad Velocity Addition: Physical Meaning of Non-Singularity at c?
  • · Replies 7 ·
Replies
7
Views
2K
Undergrad Question about cosmological constant
  • · Replies 43 ·
2
Replies
43
Views
5K
High School Experimental evidence that pure energy can curve spacetime?
  • · Replies 25 ·
Replies
25
Views
4K
Undergrad Cosmological Constant Problem: Pre-Req Knowledge for Paper
  • · Replies 4 ·
Replies
4
Views
2K
Graduate Stress energy tensor general relativity
  • · Replies 4 ·
Replies
4
Views
2K
Undergrad Minkowski diagrams without scales on axes
  • · Replies 20 ·
Replies
20
Views
4K
Undergrad Leading and lagging clock times in Lorentz Transforms
  • · Replies 3 ·
Replies
3
Views
2K
Undergrad Special relativity and magnetism
  • · Replies 11 ·
Replies
11
Views
3K
Undergrad Wald's Mistake on Einstein Tensor pg 97?
  • · Replies 3 ·
Replies
3
Views
2K
Undergrad If c changes w/ time, what happens with laws of SR?
  • · Replies 23 ·
Replies
23
Views
2K
Undergrad Galilean Relativity: Can Experiments Tell Motion Relative to Other Frames?
  • · Replies 3 ·
Replies
3
Views
2K
High School Einstein Elevator: Time Dilation Questions Answered
  • · Replies 9 ·
Replies
9
Views
2K
Undergrad Book Suggestions: Learn Einstein's General Theory of Relativity
  • · Replies 9 ·
Replies
9
Views
2K
High School LIGO Detection Question: Why Lighter Masses Mean More Time
  • · Replies 3 ·
Replies
3
Views
1K
Undergrad Understanding General Relativity
  • · Replies 3 ·
Replies
3
Views
2K
Graduate Rumors of Gravitational Wave Inspiral at Advanced LIGO | Sept 2015 Launch
  • · Replies 213 ·
8
Replies
213
Views
33K
High School Observer Sees When I Throw Ball at Speed of Light
  • · Replies 3 ·
Replies
3
Views
2K
Undergrad Friedman-Robertson-Walker metric
  • · Replies 10 ·
Replies
10
Views
2K
High School What Happens to Spacetime Fabric at a Black Hole's Singularity When It Moves?
  • · Replies 11 ·
Replies
11
Views
2K
Undergrad Parametrizing a path through spacetime
  • · Replies 9 ·
Replies
9
Views
3K
Undergrad Holographic Principle discussion in Sean Carroll's book
  • · Replies 8 ·
Replies
8
Views
3K
Graduate What is the Topological Structure of Hypersurfaces in General Relativity?
  • · Replies 9 ·
Replies
9
Views
2K
Undergrad Meaning of the equivalence principle in General relativity
  • · Replies 12 ·
Replies
12
Views
2K
High School Could a black hole involve a phase transition?
  • · Replies 1 ·
Replies
1
Views
1K
Undergrad Gravitational Waves Vs. Aether Wind
  • · Replies 3 ·
Replies
3
Views
2K
High School From dE=dm*c^2 to E=m*c^2: Integration constant?
  • · Replies 10 ·
Replies
10
Views
3K
Graduate Prove Constant Curvature: Homogeneity Implied by Cosmological Principle
  • · Replies 8 ·
Replies
8
Views
2K
Graduate John Norton on the Hole Argument
  • · Replies 15 ·
Replies
15
Views
2K
Graduate An observation on potential energy in GR
  • · Replies 16 ·
Replies
16
Views
2K
Undergrad Reconciling Simultaneity & Relativity: Navigating the Spacetime Maze
  • · Replies 8 ·
Replies
8
Views
2K
Undergrad Black Hole & Spacetime Curvature: Can Mass Decrease It?
  • · Replies 4 ·
Replies
4
Views
2K
Undergrad Time Dilation Explained: Muon Decay & Reaching Earth
  • · Replies 3 ·
Replies
3
Views
2K
High School Who Compresses More: Obj1 or Obj2 at C Speeds?
  • · Replies 11 ·
Replies
11
Views
2K
High School Twin Paradox Visualization: Understanding with Java & Diagrams
  • · Replies 5 ·
Replies
5
Views
3K
Undergrad SR Pseudo-Paradox: Photons Affected by Emitter?
  • · Replies 4 ·
Replies
4
Views
2K
High School Some basic questions about length contraction in SR
  • · Replies 16 ·
Replies
16
Views
2K
Undergrad Time Dilation & Differential Aging: Defined
  • · Replies 4 ·
Replies
4
Views
2K
High School Crashing into an event horizon
  • · Replies 20 ·
Replies
20
Views
2K
Undergrad Could it be meaningful to speak of the "density of space"?
  • · Replies 18 ·
Replies
18
Views
3K
Undergrad Is there any 2D surface whose metric tensor is eta?
  • · Replies 4 ·
Replies
4
Views
1K
High School Deriving Special Relativity Formulae Steps
  • · Replies 4 ·
Replies
4
Views
2K
High School Question about Michelson-Morley experiment
  • · Replies 29 ·
Replies
29
Views
7K
Undergrad Quantum Mechanics & Relativity: Vacuum Connection?
  • · Replies 5 ·
Replies
5
Views
1K
High School Understand Proper Distances in SR/GR: A Layman's Guide
  • · Replies 11 ·
Replies
11
Views
2K
Undergrad Relativistic Momentum Invariance in Perpendicular Boosts
  • · Replies 3 ·
Replies
3
Views
1K
Undergrad Galilean Equivalence Principle: Extended Objects
  • · Replies 8 ·
Replies
8
Views
2K
Undergrad Fixed Stars Moving Faster Than Light? Problem?
  • · Replies 6 ·
Replies
6
Views
1K
Undergrad Opposite of Black Hole - Matter Repulsion?
  • · Replies 3 ·
Replies
3
Views
1K
Graduate Interpretation of [itex]\partial_\nu T^{\mu \nu}[/itex]
  • · Replies 8 ·
Replies
8
Views
2K
Undergrad Special relativity of two clocks
  • · Replies 4 ·
Replies
4
Views
2K
High School Does time stop at the center of a black hole?
  • · Replies 16 ·
Replies
16
Views
3K
High School Connected events at opposite ends of a photon's travel
  • · Replies 24 ·
Replies
24
Views
3K
Graduate How Does the Penrose Process Allow for Energy Extraction from a Black Hole?
  • · Replies 3 ·
Replies
3
Views
2K
Graduate Which Representation of Christoffel Symbols is Correct?
  • · Replies 14 ·
Replies
14
Views
3K
Graduate Deriving Einstein's Equation: Calculating ##R_{00}##
  • · Replies 2 ·
Replies
2
Views
1K