Is General Relativity Incomplete? What Is It?

Thread starter Tanny 24/7
Start date May 10, 2015
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General General relativity Relativity

In summary, General Relativity is not the only theory of gravity. It is based on the principle that gravity is the result of spacetime curvature caused by mass and energy. However, it has limitations such as not incorporating quantum mechanics and not explaining dark matter and dark energy. Many scientists believe it is incomplete and are searching for a theory of quantum gravity to unify General Relativity with quantum mechanics and provide a more complete understanding of gravity.

May 10, 2015

Tanny 24/7

I read about relativity and some people claim to be incomplete so what is the incompleteness.

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May 10, 2015

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Who is "some people"?

Relativity does not include quantum mechanics, and we don't know how physics works when both are relevant at the same time.

May 11, 2015

Tanny 24/7

How could anyone join those two together.

May 11, 2015

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That's the Nobel Prize question.

1. Is General Relativity the only theory of gravity?

No, General Relativity is not the only theory of gravity. There are other theories such as Newton's Law of Universal Gravitation and modified theories of gravity like MOND (Modified Newtonian Dynamics).

2. What is the main principle of General Relativity?

The main principle of General Relativity is that gravity is not a force between masses, but rather it is a curvature of space and time caused by the presence of mass and energy.

3. What are the limitations of General Relativity?

One limitation of General Relativity is that it does not incorporate quantum mechanics, which is necessary to describe the behavior of particles at a very small scale. It also does not explain the phenomena of dark matter and dark energy.

4. Is General Relativity incomplete?

Many scientists believe that General Relativity is incomplete because it has not been unified with quantum mechanics. It also does not provide a complete explanation for the behavior of the universe at a large scale.

5. What is the search for a theory of quantum gravity?

The search for a theory of quantum gravity is the attempt to merge General Relativity with quantum mechanics in order to have a complete understanding of the behavior of the universe. This would help to resolve the discrepancies between General Relativity and quantum mechanics and provide a more comprehensive theory of gravity.