If you look far far away you'll find that you're looking to your back

[Abdelmadjid]

Hi everyone

I'm Abdelmadjid and I'm new here.
I need your help guys, i need a website, a free ebook or someone who can explain the saying of Einstein when he said "If you look far far away you'll find that you're looking to your back" physically.

This is not a home work but I've to be ready for our next lesson.:)

Thanks

 

[JaredJames]

Welcome to PF!

Well I've never heard of that saying and neither has Google.

Is it the correct wording? Is it a real quote by Einstein?

but I've to be ready for our next lesson.

By doing work at home?

Jared

 

[JaredJames]

Just as a side note, if you look at an object a few light years away - let's say a star - because of how long it takes the light to reach us, we see the star as it was a number of years back.

Example: We look at a star 100 light years away. Because the light takes 100 years to reach us, we are seeing the star as it was 100 years back.

So in this case, looking far away is looking back. (Not "at your back").

I still don't know the accuracy of that quote and if it exists, but this is the best explanation I can think of relating to it.

That is, unless you consider the idea that the universe is like a looped system. Where if you travel far enough, you eventually end up back where you started. So if you looked far enough away, you would eventually see yourself. *

_{*I don't know much regarding this particular subject and it's a very, very basic idea I've given there. It could be totally wrong.}

 

[Abdelmadjid]

Thanks for your explanation.

The saying exist this is it(But in french):"Pour résumer cette théorie, Einstein amusa un public de journalistes : « Imaginez que vous regardez loin, très loin devant vous et que vous avez une très bonne vue, une très très bonne vue, alors vous arriverez à voir… votre dos »." me too i can't find it in Google.

This is the link : http://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Relativité_générale

Thanks again.

 

[JaredJames]

Well I don't speak French that well so can provide no other help with the matter.

I'd say the translation is incorrect based on what I can read there.

 

[Abdelmadjid]

Yes, i just tried to translated the meaning that I've seen the closer.

So can any other help me please, or I have to put it in the general and special relativity forum?

 

[micromass]

I am not a physicist, but I think that I have an explanation for that quote:

Image that you stand on the earth. If you start walking in one direction, and keep walking in that same direction, then eventually you will end up where you started. This is of course because the Earth is a spherical object. So the Earth is bent in some way.

What Einstein claims is that the universe is also bent. But of course, imagining this is very hard! With the earth, you can imagine a round object. But how can you possibly imagine a round universe. But just because it is hard to imagine something, doesn't mean that we cannot describe some of it properties. One such properties is: say we start flying in one direction, and keep on flying that same direction, then eventually you will end up where you started. It's the same way as with the earth, but a dimension higher.
An alternative property is what Einstein discribes: that you always look at your own back.

Hope that clarified something...

 

[JaredJames]

Well the requirements for PF are that posts must be in English.

So, your translation isn't going to suffice if it is incorrect.

I would recommend you start by asking in General Discussion and then it will get moved if it is a) real and b) determined as acceptable elsewhere.

 

[Abdelmadjid]

Thanks jarednjames

 

[Abdelmadjid]

Micromass thank you too.
your information is helpful.

 

[milesyoung]

I think that quote relates to the curvature of the universe.
For a certain type of geometry, light would "curve back around" and you would be able to see yourself in the distance, loosely speaking.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shape_of_the_Universe

Observations give evidence of a flat geometry though.
You can learn more about it here:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7ImvlS8PLIo"