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Special and General Relativity Forum

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.

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Graduate Local Lorentz Frames: Definition & Context for GR

May 25, 2013 · Replies 47 · May 26, 2013

2

Replies: 47

Views: 7K

Graduate Does Special Relativity Predict Zero Acceleration in Free Fall?

Feb 25, 2013 · Replies 177 · May 26, 2013

6

Replies: 177

Views: 25K

Graduate Outrunning Light; how quickly will light catch up with you

May 24, 2013 · Replies 5 · May 25, 2013

Replies: 5

Views: 2K

Graduate Events in Relativity: Can Simultaneous Occurrences Exist?

May 24, 2013 · Replies 10 · May 24, 2013

Replies: 10

Views: 3K

Graduate Minkowski diagram, what does observer see.

May 23, 2013 · Replies 26 · May 24, 2013

Replies: 26

Views: 4K

Graduate Curvature of Spacetime: Is the Universe Flat or Curved?

May 16, 2013 · Replies 11 · May 24, 2013

Replies: 11

Views: 2K

Graduate Thomas Precession, Angular Momentum, and Rotating Reference Frames

May 23, 2013 · Replies 6 · May 23, 2013

Replies: 6

Views: 2K

Graduate Father-Son Paradox: Explaining Time Dilation

May 22, 2013 · Replies 4 · May 23, 2013

Replies: 4

Views: 3K

Graduate Can we truly understand motion through spacetime?

May 20, 2013 · Replies 18 · May 23, 2013

Replies: 18

Views: 3K

Graduate Any in depth explanations on why near lightspeed affect aging?

May 16, 2013 · Replies 21 · May 23, 2013

Replies: 21

Views: 4K

Graduate Is there always the same amount of spacetime curvature in the uni.?

May 22, 2013 · Replies 5 · May 23, 2013

Replies: 5

Views: 2K

Graduate Gravity is different - infinite energy stored

May 17, 2013 · Replies 4 · May 23, 2013

Replies: 4

Views: 2K

Graduate Partitioning Mass in GR: A Cautionary Tale

May 22, 2013 · Replies 3 · May 22, 2013

Replies: 3

Views: 1K

Undergrad What keeps the planets in orbit

May 22, 2013 · Replies 2 · May 22, 2013

Replies: 2

Views: 2K

Graduate Gravity exerted by a fast moving object versus stationary object?

Apr 25, 2013 · Replies 61 · May 22, 2013

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Replies: 61

Views: 18K

Graduate Lorentz transformation matrix applied to EM field tensor

May 20, 2013 · Replies 8 · May 22, 2013

Replies: 8

Views: 2K

Graduate Geometric Description of Free EM Field

May 20, 2013 · Replies 5 · May 21, 2013

Replies: 5

Views: 2K

Graduate Timelike Killing vector field and stationary spacetime

May 21, 2013 · Replies 21 · May 21, 2013

Replies: 21

Views: 7K

Graduate E=MC^2 Mass and Energy, synonymous?

May 3, 2013 · Replies 79 · May 21, 2013

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Replies: 79

Views: 10K

Graduate Why do we move at the speed of light?

Oct 7, 2012 · Replies 41 · May 20, 2013

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Replies: 41

Views: 7K

Graduate Is there really no answer to what gravity is?

May 14, 2013 · Replies 11 · May 20, 2013

Replies: 11

Views: 3K

Graduate Need Intuition Behind Expansion of Smaller Structures in the Universe

May 19, 2013 · Replies 13 · May 20, 2013

Replies: 13

Views: 2K

Graduate Wrong signs Ricci tensor components RW metric tric

May 20, 2013 · Replies 2 · May 20, 2013

Replies: 2

Views: 2K

Graduate Is the Speed of Light Tied to the Plank Distance and Time?

May 19, 2013 · Replies 11 · May 19, 2013

Replies: 11

Views: 2K

Graduate Energy left of body falling down to Schwarzschild radius

May 16, 2013 · Replies 12 · May 19, 2013

Replies: 12

Views: 3K

Graduate Spherically symmetric spacetime

May 18, 2013 · Replies 8 · May 19, 2013

Replies: 8

Views: 4K

Graduate Why there is a minus sign in the Killing's equation

May 19, 2013 · Replies 2 · May 19, 2013

Replies: 2

Views: 2K

Graduate Special Relativity, four-momenta questions.

May 18, 2013 · Replies 13 · May 19, 2013

Replies: 13

Views: 2K

Undergrad Seeking clarification on red-shift

May 18, 2013 · Replies 1 · May 18, 2013

Replies: 1

Views: 2K

Graduate Help with time-space diagram equations.

May 17, 2013 · Replies 3 · May 18, 2013

Replies: 3

Views: 2K

Undergrad Why things like relativity and evolution aren't called laws?

May 17, 2013 · Replies 3 · May 17, 2013

Replies: 3

Views: 2K

Graduate Understanding Proper Time Concept in Relativity: Clock Readings and Observers

May 16, 2013 · Replies 15 · May 17, 2013

Replies: 15

Views: 4K

Graduate Deriving Invariant Distance in Space Time: Pythagorean Theorem

Dec 27, 2011 · Replies 27 · May 16, 2013

Replies: 27

Views: 9K

Graduate Are classical models of electrons with spin limited by the speed of light?

May 14, 2013 · Replies 9 · May 16, 2013

Replies: 9

Views: 4K

Undergrad Does the law of universal gravity exist?

May 14, 2013 · Replies 16 · May 16, 2013

Replies: 16

Views: 3K

Graduate Question about spacetime curvature

May 15, 2013 · Replies 20 · May 16, 2013

Replies: 20

Views: 3K

Graduate Are all objects crossing the event horizon travelling at C?

May 9, 2013 · Replies 28 · May 15, 2013

Replies: 28

Views: 5K

Graduate How many independent components are there in the Einstein equations?

May 13, 2013 · Replies 6 · May 15, 2013

Replies: 6

Views: 3K

Graduate Velocity & Gamma Factor of Proton

May 6, 2013 · Replies 2 · May 15, 2013

Replies: 2

Views: 2K

Graduate Why Don't Earth and the Moon Emit Gravity Waves Like Neutron Stars?

May 14, 2013 · Replies 7 · May 15, 2013

Replies: 7

Views: 2K

Graduate Is there a minimum mass for black holes?

May 15, 2013 · Replies 5 · May 15, 2013

Replies: 5

Views: 3K

Graduate Time Dilation Video Feed Experiment

May 14, 2013 · Replies 5 · May 15, 2013

Replies: 5

Views: 2K

Graduate A perfectly flat bucket of water?

May 7, 2013 · Replies 24 · May 15, 2013

Replies: 24

Views: 5K

Graduate Can Affine Parameters Be Used to Describe Null Curves in GR?

May 13, 2013 · Replies 7 · May 14, 2013

Replies: 7

Views: 10K

Graduate The Modern Geometric View of Black Holes

May 14, 2013 · Replies 16 · May 14, 2013

Replies: 16

Views: 4K

Undergrad Confused on how to calculate invariant interval.

May 13, 2013 · Replies 17 · May 14, 2013

Replies: 17

Views: 5K

Graduate What is Minkowski Space and Its Role in Understanding Relativity?

May 9, 2013 · Replies 28 · May 14, 2013

Replies: 28

Views: 6K

Undergrad Why measuring one-way trip impossible?

May 11, 2013 · Replies 43 · May 14, 2013

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Replies: 43

Views: 5K

Graduate Does Velocity or Acceleration Determine the Energy of a Moving Object?

May 10, 2013 · Replies 63 · May 13, 2013

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Replies: 63

Views: 6K

Graduate Question about value of the metric tensor and field strength

May 13, 2013 · Replies 3 · May 13, 2013

Replies: 3

Views: 3K

Graduate What Ingredients Can Make an Observer?

May 12, 2013 · Replies 1 · May 13, 2013

Replies: 1

Views: 2K

Graduate Is the Cosmic Microwave Background an Absolute Frame of Reference?

May 12, 2013 · Replies 7 · May 12, 2013

Replies: 7

Views: 3K

Graduate Is spacetime independent of its universe?

Apr 16, 2013 · Replies 73 · May 12, 2013

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Replies: 73

Views: 9K

Graduate Time Dilation Thought Experiment

May 12, 2013 · Replies 4 · May 12, 2013

Replies: 4

Views: 2K

Graduate Is a Universal Clock Possible? Answers Here

May 11, 2013 · Replies 5 · May 12, 2013

Replies: 5

Views: 2K

Graduate Speed of light and relations to mass

May 8, 2013 · Replies 5 · May 10, 2013

Replies: 5

Views: 2K

Graduate What math do you need to know to solve EFE

May 9, 2013 · Replies 4 · May 9, 2013

Replies: 4

Views: 1K

Graduate When is something Lorentz invariant.

May 9, 2013 · Replies 1 · May 9, 2013

Replies: 1

Views: 2K

Graduate Anisotropic instead of isotropic metric deriving acceleration

May 9, 2013 · Replies 2 · May 9, 2013

Replies: 2

Views: 2K

Graduate Understanding Classical Fields in General Relativity

May 7, 2013 · Replies 16 · May 9, 2013

Replies: 16

Views: 3K

Graduate The Arc of Space Curvature: Large and Small

May 1, 2013 · Replies 30 · May 9, 2013

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Replies: 30

Views: 4K

Graduate Understanding the Minkowski Metric: Explained Step-by-Step for Beginners

May 6, 2013 · Replies 36 · May 9, 2013

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Replies: 36

Views: 8K

Graduate Energy shift in a photon passing by a gravitational well

May 5, 2013 · Replies 12 · May 9, 2013

Replies: 12

Views: 3K

Graduate Can the No-Interaction Theorem Coexist with Relativistic Particle Dynamics?

Mar 29, 2008 · Replies 12 · May 7, 2013

Replies: 12

Views: 8K

Graduate The ratio between temporal lengths is frame-invariant

May 7, 2013 · Replies 8 · May 7, 2013

Replies: 8

Views: 2K

Undergrad Is this an acceptable way to describe gravity

May 6, 2013 · Replies 10 · May 6, 2013

Replies: 10

Views: 2K

Graduate Deriving Relations in Relativistic Mechanics: dE/dt = dm/dt?

May 5, 2013 · Replies 5 · May 6, 2013

Replies: 5

Views: 2K

Graduate I'm standing on a black hole, is light approaching red or blue?

May 6, 2013 · Replies 40 · May 6, 2013

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Replies: 40

Views: 5K

Graduate Relation between coordinate time and proper time

May 1, 2013 · Replies 78 · May 6, 2013

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Replies: 78

Views: 13K

Graduate Relativity Paradox – RoS: Trains, Tunnels & Guillotines

May 4, 2013 · Replies 18 · May 6, 2013

Replies: 18

Views: 8K

Graduate Redshifting of forces in stationary space - times

Mar 18, 2013 · Replies 66 · May 6, 2013

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Replies: 66

Views: 11K

Graduate Principle of relativity hypothetical question

May 5, 2013 · Replies 7 · May 5, 2013

Replies: 7

Views: 2K

Graduate Can Light Travel Faster When Moving Towards It?

May 5, 2013 · Replies 5 · May 5, 2013

Replies: 5

Views: 2K

Graduate How Does Relativity Explain Different Observations of the Same Event?

May 5, 2013 · Replies 7 · May 5, 2013

Replies: 7

Views: 2K

Graduate Solve Boggling Questions on Relative Speed of Light and Time Dilation

May 5, 2013 · Replies 1 · May 5, 2013

Replies: 1

Views: 1K

Graduate Finding Radius of Curvature of a Sphere Using Angle Excess

May 4, 2013 · Replies 3 · May 5, 2013

Replies: 3

Views: 3K

Graduate Local flatness at r = 0 for star interior spacetime

May 4, 2013 · Replies 3 · May 4, 2013

Replies: 3

Views: 2K

Graduate He most general form of the metric for a homogeneous, isotropic and st

May 4, 2013 · Replies 6 · May 4, 2013

Replies: 6

Views: 3K

Graduate Relativity of simultaneity and parthood?

Apr 30, 2013 · Replies 39 · May 4, 2013

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Replies: 39

Views: 5K

Graduate Question about the curvature of spacetime:

Apr 30, 2013 · Replies 17 · May 4, 2013

Replies: 17

Views: 3K

Undergrad Why People in Orbit Appear Weightless: An Elevator Analogy

May 1, 2013 · Replies 15 · May 4, 2013

Replies: 15

Views: 4K

Graduate Travelling the Same speed as a photon

May 1, 2013 · Replies 14 · May 3, 2013

Replies: 14

Views: 3K

Graduate Gravity: after Einstein, is it really a force?

May 3, 2013 · Replies 3 · May 3, 2013

Replies: 3

Views: 2K

Graduate Can you modify this quote regarding time dilation?

May 3, 2013 · Replies 3 · May 3, 2013

Replies: 3

Views: 2K

Graduate Do photons warp space like the equivalent energy as mass would?

Apr 25, 2013 · Replies 18 · May 3, 2013

Replies: 18

Views: 3K

Graduate Understanding Reference Frames for Observing Real-Time Events

May 2, 2013 · Replies 5 · May 3, 2013

Replies: 5

Views: 2K

Graduate What is the current explanation for apparent superluminal jets?

Apr 30, 2013 · Replies 2 · May 3, 2013

Replies: 2

Views: 2K

Graduate Why Use Earth's Center as a Time Reference in Atomic Clock Experiments?

May 1, 2013 · Replies 14 · May 2, 2013

Replies: 14

Views: 3K

Graduate NASA Solar Probe Plus to hit 0.067% of c

May 1, 2013 · Replies 5 · May 2, 2013

Replies: 5

Views: 2K

Graduate How long would it take to get to Alpha Centauri?

May 1, 2013 · Replies 14 · May 2, 2013

Replies: 14

Views: 8K

Graduate What are the physical mechanisms behind time dilation and its alternatives?

Apr 27, 2013 · Replies 31 · May 2, 2013

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Replies: 31

Views: 5K

Graduate Can Colliding Stars Form a Black Hole Made of Light?

Apr 30, 2013 · Replies 10 · May 2, 2013

Replies: 10

Views: 2K

Graduate Spacetime Physics (1966) Fig 23 on page 40

May 2, 2013 · Replies 2 · May 2, 2013

Replies: 2

Views: 1K

Graduate Confused about the Equivalence Principle and Inertial Reference Frames

Apr 30, 2013 · Replies 7 · May 2, 2013

Replies: 7

Views: 3K

Graduate The relativistic mechanics of spinning discs

Apr 21, 2013 · Replies 16 · May 1, 2013

Replies: 16

Views: 3K

Graduate Strange Twins Paradox: A Crackpot Physics Mystery | Discover the Solution Here!

Apr 8, 2013 · Replies 59 · May 1, 2013

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Replies: 59

Views: 8K

Undergrad Is this simple derivation of length contraction and time dilation corr

Apr 29, 2013 · Replies 24 · Apr 30, 2013

Replies: 24

Views: 4K

Graduate Travelling towards distant stars

Apr 30, 2013 · Replies 16 · Apr 30, 2013

Replies: 16

Views: 2K

Graduate Constructing the Einstein Field Equation

Apr 30, 2013 · Replies 2 · Apr 30, 2013

Replies: 2

Views: 2K

Graduate Second derivative of a metric and the Riemann curvature tensor

Apr 30, 2013 · Replies 1 · Apr 30, 2013

Replies: 1

Views: 3K

Relativity

The theory of relativity, formulated by Albert Einstein, comprises two fundamental theories—special and general relativity. Special relativity, proposed in 1905, redefines our understanding of space and time by asserting the constancy of the speed of light for all observers and introducing concepts like time dilation and length contraction.

General relativity, presented in 1915, extends these principles to incorporate gravity. It describes gravity as the curvature of spacetime caused by massive objects, leading to phenomena like gravitational time dilation and the prediction of black holes. Einstein's equations have been consistently validated through experiments and observations, profoundly influencing our comprehension of the universe's fabric and dynamics.

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