What is a Simple Explanation of General Relativity for High School Students?

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Discussion Overview

The discussion revolves around finding accessible explanations of general relativity suitable for high school students. Participants explore resources, books, and the level of mathematical understanding required to grasp the concepts of the theory.

Discussion Character

  • Conceptual clarification
  • Homework-related

Main Points Raised

  • One participant seeks a high school level explanation of general relativity, expressing difficulty in finding understandable material.
  • Another participant suggests popular science sites and web tutorials as helpful resources, referencing a specific webpage for further exploration.
  • A different participant emphasizes the mathematical prerequisites for understanding general relativity, noting that it typically requires knowledge of differential equations, vector calculus, and other advanced topics.
  • Several participants recommend specific books, including Geroch's "General Relativity from A to B" and Hawking's works, as potentially suitable for beginners.
  • One participant provides a link to an additional resource that may serve as a starting point for understanding general relativity.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants generally agree that accessible explanations at the high school level are limited and that a solid mathematical foundation is beneficial for deeper understanding. However, there is no consensus on a single resource or approach that best meets the needs of high school students.

Contextual Notes

The discussion highlights the varying levels of mathematical preparation required to engage with general relativity, indicating that some resources may be more suitable than others depending on the reader's background.

pettysm
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I was researching the theory of general relativity, but I couldn't find material that I could understand. I'm looking for a good explanation around high school level. Could anyone help me out?
 
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Go through the links in this page - http://math.ucr.edu/home/baez/relativity.html - I think popular science sites and web tutorials are the ones that'll help you the most. Also check out further reading for "reviews" of books on relativity at all levels.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
Are you looking to just get the basic concepts or to actually be able to do some calculations?

You need a lot of mathematics under your belt like differential equations, vector calculus, linear algebra, tensor calculus and special relativity (and differential geometry wouldn't hurt either!) before you can get into the 'meat' of GR. Most universities consider GR a 3rd or even 4th year course (at least here in the UK they do).

If you're after just a qualative description, plenty of popular science books cover it. Hawking's books are pretty good for beginners :)
 
Last edited:
pettysm said:
I was researching the theory of general relativity, but I couldn't find material that I could understand. I'm looking for a good explanation around high school level. Could anyone help me out?

There aren't very many at high school level. Geroch's "General Relativity from A to B" comes to mind. (I've got to get it back to the library tomorrow...).
 
pettysm said:
I was researching the theory of general relativity, but I couldn't find material that I could understand. I'm looking for a good explanation around high school level. Could anyone help me out?
Sure

Relativity; The Special and General Theory, Albert Einstein. Three Rivers Press

Pete
 

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