Relativity Theory - Research Article from Encyclopedia of Philosophy

This encyclopedia article consists of approximately 34 pages of information about Relativity Theory.

Relativity Theory - Research Article from Encyclopedia of Philosophy

This encyclopedia article consists of approximately 34 pages of information about Relativity Theory.
This section contains 10,047 words
(approx. 34 pages at 300 words per page)
Buy the Relativity Theory Encyclopedia Article

From 1905 to 1915 Albert Einstein revolutionized the conception of space and time and gravity that had been central in physics since Isaac Newton. For a brief discussion of the history of the development of relativity see the entry "Einstein, Albert." This entry describes the content of the theories.

The special and general theories of relativity are, at heart, theories of spatiotemporal structure. They are not particularly about observers or reference frames or ways to synchronize clocks, although as fundamental physical theories they have implications about what observers will observe and what various physical procedures for coordinating clocks will accomplish. It is easy to fall under the impression that these theories are basically concerned about coordinate systems or reference frames because physical events are typically described by means of coordinates or reference frames, but that temptation ought to be avoided.

Perhaps the easiest way to understand special relativity...

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This section contains 10,047 words
(approx. 34 pages at 300 words per page)
Buy the Relativity Theory Encyclopedia Article
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Relativity Theory from Macmillan. Copyright © 2001-2006 by Macmillan Reference USA, an imprint of the Gale Group. All rights reserved.