helenac

__by Helena Cheng__
 * // The Theory of Relativity & Effects on Society // **



  Albert Einstein discovered the Theory of Relativity in 1907–1915 and changed the world of physics and the way we view light and gravity. He concluded that one, the laws of physics are the same for all observers in uniform motion relative to one another (Galileo's principle of relativity) and two, the speed of light in a vacuum is the same for all observers, regardless of their relative motion or of the motion of the source of the light. For example, if one is standing and looking at a moving train, it cannot be specified which is moving: the train, or the person who is standing? From the perspective of the people inside the train, it is the person who is standing that is actually moving past the train. The Theory, in this way, talks about reference points. It states that a uniform gravitational field (like that near the Earth) is equivalent to a uniform acceleration. What this means, in effect, is that a person cannot tell the difference between (a) standing on the Earth, feeling the effects of gravity as a downward pull and (b) standing in a very smooth elevator that is accelerating upwards a t just the right rate of exactly 32 feet per second squared. (see picture 1)

The theory describes the motion of particles moving at close to the speed of light, and gives the correct laws of motion for any particle. Einstein's theory is now really well established as the correct description of motion of relativistic objects; that is, those traveling at a significant fraction of the speed of light. Although this theory can't technically be proven, it has changed society and the way we view things in life. The impact of the Theory of Relativity on society is huge, and has changed much in the way physics is viewed, but things would be completely different if the Theory was rejected.  Einstein says everything is relative; it just depends on your viewpoint. By accepting this theory, society has changed in the way things in life are viewed; anything from morals to things that have to do with physics. Einstein's idea      began to spread to other fields of study in the 20th century. Although Einstein did once say " [|relativity is for physics, not ethics]  ", people who studied moral ethics changed their way of thinking and thought that there are no moral absolutes as stated in the Bible; it just depends on the viewpoint. They reasoned that what is right or wrong is just a matter of convention or view point of the society, which in a way disturbed the religious world. In this viewpoint, they thought that, for example, if you lived in a place where murdering people was okay, then it was alright to murder. To someone living in a country where this was wrong, it would be a terrible sin, but that view point is only because of the society he/she lives in. The morality of what you do is relative to the place where you live, and this is an example of how the Theory changed society and ways of thinking. Some people thought differently, and believed like Einstein that relativity is not for ethics. They thought: If morals are relative to their circumstances, how can we ever define what it ethical and nonethical? If they are relative then it would seem that there is no one solid moral fact and the entire idea of morals is useless. Since morals are entirly a matter of the conscience mind how do we even know if they exists? There have been many debates on this topic.

Let's say that Einstein's Theory of Relativity was rejected, what would society be like? Well first of all, we would be a lot more ignorant to physics and laws of physics, how things work, and instead of believing that things were different based on different viewpoints, we might think differently. We might think that there is a set rule for everything: that killing someone is bad, and it's a crime. In physics, maybe people would still follow just Isaac Newton's three laws of motion.     Newton’s first law, known as the law of inertia, states that a body that is not acted upon by external forces undergoes no acceleration—either remaining at rest or continuing to move in a straight line at constant speed. Newton’s second law states that a force applied to a body changes its velocity by producing an acceleration that is proportional to the force and inversely proportional to the mass of the body. In constructing his system, Newton also defined space and time, taking both to be absolutes that are unaffected by anything external. Newton's space and time were //absolue//, that is, unchangable. Space was boundless, static, and completely empty save for the universal medium, the ether, and time had flowed since Creation. Einstein's space and time, however, wound and twisted about one another into one absolute concept, spacetime. In Einstein's universe, space and time were continually being warped and shaped according to the motions of energy and matter. Obviously, the way we understand the universe would be quite different if the Theory had been rejected.

Why is the Theory of Relativity important to our society, today? Among other things, our GPS systems, defense systems and communications networks would not work properly if we did not know how to adjust for relativistic effects as predicted by Einstein's equations. Relativity has been verified in a number of ways and has not yet been refuted, so relativity has helped shape and direct a great deal of subsequent research. Although it cannot be proven, it has taught us much about the importance of different viewpoints and reference points. It lets us see time, a thing that is hard to understand, in a different way; time is, according to Einstein's Theory, relative to us. Einstein's theory of special relativity suggests that time speeds up or slows down according to how fast an object is moving in relation to another object and a moving clock ticks more slowly than a stationary one — has been verified by particle acceleration experiments ten times more precisely than ever before. Relativity is also helping us, little by little, come to better cosmological concepts. When Albert Einstein discovered the Theory during a meteor shower, he became famous overnight for discovering something that made people actually think. Even though the Theory of Relativity cannot technically be proven, it has changed our society and ways of thinking in many ways. It has made us, as human beings, question our morals and religion, and relate our lives to relativity. It has also taught us alot about physics, such as a theory to how time works, and space. If the theory had been rejected, a lot of the technology we have today, such as the GPS, would not exist, and we would think different. Maybe we would still just believe Newton's laws instead of relativity.

 Bibliography

"Cosmology Before Relativity." Encyclopedia Brittanica. 2008. Perkowitz, Sidney. < http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/496904/relativity/252875/Cosmology-before-relativity> Encyclopedia Brittanica is a very dependable website because it is an online encyclopedia. It is well cited and contains a lot of useful information. It explains cosmology and views on physics before relativity, and explains in a language easy to understand.

"Einstein's Theory of Relativity." Culture War. March 2007. l This site was great for a history on Einstein. It also broke down the idea of moral relativity and how the Theory applies to ethics. This site contains the quote from Albert Einstein that says relativity is for physics, not morals. It explains in a simple language that allows people to understand the idea very easily and quickly. It's a good source to understand the connection between social society and the Theory. "The Theory of Relativity." Nasa.gov. Stern, David P. May 2008.< http://www-istp.gsfc.nasa.gov/stargaze/Srelativ.htm>. This webpage is written by Dr. David P. Stern, who has studied physics and astronomy for many years. He has a lot of credibility and is experienced in this field. Its main purpose is to inform, and help anyone who is interested in the Theory of Relativity understand exactly what it is. It is useful because it uses simple language that explains well and isn't too confusing. It gives a clear explanation without being biased.

"Einstein's General Relativity." Physics Suite 101. April 1, 2007. Heckert, Paul. . This article by Paul A. Heckart is very descriptive, and has many details helping to explain the Theory. Not only that, but it is very credible because the article has been copyrighted. Heckart has made it easy to find further information by creating words into links. He also includes information on gravity. The many details in this article make it great for research and learning.