Einstein showed that nothing that has a mass can ever reach the speed of light. Because the speed of light is such a big number, even a tiny amount of mass is equivalent to — and can be converted into — a very large amount of energy. The basic idea is that instead of being an invisible force that attracts objects to one another, gravity is a curving or warping of space.
The more massive an object, the more it warps the space around it. For example, the sun is massive enough to warp space across our solar system — a bit like the way a heavy ball resting on a rubber sheet warps the sheet. As a result, Earth and the other planets move in curved paths orbits around it. This warping also affects measurements of time. We tend to think of time as ticking away at a steady rate.
But just as gravity can stretch or warp space, it can also dilate time. Subsequent experiments proved that this indeed happens. Special relativity is ultimately a set of equations that relate the way things look in one frame of reference to how they look in another — the stretching of time and space, and the increase in mass.
The discovery of gravitational waves made by the twin Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave Observatory LIGO observatories is undoubtedly the science discovery of the year. Albert Einstein was probably partying in his grave at the news, as it confirmed the theory of general relativity he drafted a century ago. Through general relativity, Einstein explained that space and time are not two separate entities, but an interwoven fabric called space-time. And massive objects curve space-time, which is what we know as gravity.
Gravitational waves are essentially ripples on a galactic pond. These waves are disturbances in the very fabric of space and time, caused by the motion of massive objects — namely two colliding black holes.
Theoretical physicists Jahed Abedi, Hannah Dykaar and Niayesh Afshordi, published a new paper explaining that the group believes they have detected the first evidence of gravitational effects not explained by general relativity in the data. The echoes will need further investigation and peer review , as the researchers note they could disappear as more data comes in. This is a logical approach in many ways.
Apart from creating a narrative that is eminently readable, the science is presented in historical context in a manner that makes it easy to absorb.
However, there are undoubtedly times when the book feels more like a biography of Einstein than a biography of his greatest theory. However, these are minor criticisms that should not deter the reader from this excellent and informative book. Close search menu Submit search Type to search.
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