What is the actual theory of relativity?
483066
Realativity is of two types-general and special\nIt basically talks about the fact that the speed of light is the same for all observers whether they are moving or not\nand also of the fact that there are four dimensions -lenght breadth height and time\nspace and time are curved\nif you want further knowlegde then read THE BRIEF HISTORY OF TIME BY HAWKING
115605
Very simply put, string theory (now most often called "M" theory) is an attempt to unite quantum physics with relativity; we hope that by doing so we can develop a set of equations that will tie together the four fundamental forces of nature. The direct relationship of three of those forces have been linked, but gravity so far remains the "outsider."
467316
That version of Einsteins theory of general relativity is only for particles with 0 momentum.  for ones that do wave momentum but no mas it is\nE= pc (p=momentum, c= speed of light)\n\nbut yes, it is only applicable for at the speed of light hence it only has c, the speed of light, and not v, another speed.
1008175
there is a important factor that appears in the theory of relativity:\nit's called "gamma" (we use the greek letter usually).\nFor a body moving with the velocity v, we have \ngamma=1/squareroot(1-v^2/c^2) , where c is the velocity of light.\nas you can check, as v increases (but always being lower than c), gamma becomes bigger and bigger, tending towards infinity as v tends to c. You can also check than when v=0, gamma=1.\n\nIn non relativistic theory, the mass of a rod for example is called "m" and its length "L". In the point of view of the rod, m and L are constant. For an outside observer also...\nBut what the theory of relativity shows is that for the outside observer, the mass and length of a rod moving with a velocity v is no more m and L, but gamma*m and L/gamma.\nThus, if the velocity is much smaller than c (everyday experience), gamma~1 and nobody can see the difference, if the velocity increased a lot, gamma->iinfinity, and thus the mass also tends towards infinity and the length tends towards 0...  for the outside observer!    If you are the rod, your velocity compared to yourself is 0, so your "own gamma" is 1 and your length and mass, in YOUR point of view, is constant.\n\nthe theory of relativity shows that "basic" things such as the length, the mass (and even the time between two events) of an object depends on the observer. \n\nI hope I've been a bit helpful. Go on with your reading, don't be afraid if you do not understand everything at the first and even the tenth reading, that comes with experience...
176321
According to Wikipedia ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Theory_of_relativity ):\n"Albert Einstein's theory of relativity, or simply relativity, refers specifically to two theories: special relativity and general relativity. As a field of study, relativity also includes metric theories of gravitation in which special relativity applies locally.\nThe term "relativity" was coined by Max Planck in 1908 to emphasize how special relativity (which at that time was the only relativity theory)\n uses the principle of relativity.\nSpecial relativity\n\nMain article: Special relativity\nEinstein's 1905 paper "On the Electrodynamics of Moving Bodies" introduced the special theory of relativity. Special relativity considers that observers in inertial reference frames, which are in uniform motion relative to one another, cannot perform any experiment to determine which one of them is "stationary". This is known as the principle of relativity. While this principle was not new to Einstein's work, he found that including electromagnetism in this principle required a new formalism with many surprising consequences. In particular, it required the speed of light in a vacuum to be the same for all these observers, regardless of their motion or the motion of the source of the light.\nOne of the strengths of special relativity is that it can be derived from only two premises (although Einstein did not derive it this way):\nThe speed of light in a vacuum is constant (specifically, 299,792,458 meters per second).\nThe laws of physics are the same in any inertial frame of reference. This means that the laws of physics observed by a hypothetical observer traveling with a relativistic particle must be the same as those observed by an observer who is stationary in the laboratory.\nThe famous equation E=mc² (the energy contained in the rest mass of an object is equal to the product of its mass and the square of the speed of light) is derived from this theory.\n[edit]\nGeneral relativity\n\nMain article: General relativity\nGeneral relativity was developed by Einstein in the years 1911 - 1915. General relativity is a geometrical theory which postulates that the presence of mass and energy "curves" spacetime, and this curvature affects the path of free particles (and even the path of light). It uses the mathematics of differential geometry and tensors in order to describe gravitation without the use of the force of gravity. This theory considers all observers to be equivalent, not only those moving with uniform speed."
880820
Einstein has 2 theories of realivity.  The Special theory of relativey and the General theory of realtivity.  \n  The first simply means this in layman's terms.  All laws of physics laws are valid given that the state of object is in Uniform motion.  (uniform motion means a constant state of acceleration)\n  The General theory of relativity is all about gravity.  Basically it is a theory to explain the force of gravity.  \n   Although Neither theorys specifically mention time travel, many people have used the specifics of these theorys to try to show whether time travel is indeed possible.  \n    One of the principals of the general theory is that no object can travel faster than the speed of light.  Although this seems like qquite a simple statment it really isn't.  If you think about light and the things you are seeing "lets say your looking at the stars"  The light coming from those stars has traveled billions of miles to get to earth.  You are in fact seeing the light that a certain star has emmited in the past.  Now if you were to travel faster than light you could in effect travel through time and reach light events that people have yet to see.  \n   Now at face value you would say well since the theory of relativly states you can't travel faster than light this is impossible.  Here lies the catch.  The speed of light is always the speed of light (meaning if you were in car traveling at the speed of light down the road and you turned your headlights on the speed of the light from the headlights would still travel away from the car at the speed of light).\n   Now let's say your a person standing on some point and were watching the car travel at the speed of light.  The light that is coming from the cars headlights would to you seem to be traveling at 2times the speed of light. Get it?  \n   So when speaking relativisticly the frame of refrence is the most important factor.  Now one thing to note that time is NOT a constant.  It has been proven that the faster an object moves the slower time is for that object.  This indeed does work for everyday activities such as your car driving down the road.  Time for you is accually an extremely tiny bit slower than it is for the tree that you past on the road. \n    SO if we "could" get an object to move the speed of light or greater time could either stop or go in reverse for that object.  We cannot get matter to the speed of light at this time.  We have gotten close, but right now the laws of physics seem to prevent that.
978585
You can go to http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Main_Page to look up different scientific theories like theory of relativity http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Theory_of_relativity or Newton's Laws on Motion http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Newton%27s_laws_of_motion\n\nGood Luck!!!
468986
Ah, the wonders of proving reality to a disbeliever!\nFirst, I want you to visit http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Introduction_to_special_relativity , and try to teach yourself whatever they're talking about, okay? \nNext, I know this is unprovable, but I have my own distinct thoughts and imaginations and feelings and beliefs, and if nothing else, can assure you that I am, in fact, quite real.\nFind that page yet? Good. Do you understand the math? If so, kudos, go on to the main Special Relativity or General Relativity pages. If not, do you see where I'm heading with this?\nThis world we live in, grass and garbage and math and all, is much too complex for you to dream! The human mind is capable of miraculous things - but it can hardly invent hundreds of thousands of sciences and religions and people, and keep them all straight, and create histories and backgrounds and politics for each.
1168822
To answer your question literally - Yes! I'm quite sure\nsomeone knows what the theory of relativity is.
127218
Relativity, as known to Galileo and Newton, refers to the idea that motion is relative to the observer.  Giving a simple example, on a calm day standing outside my house I think the air is not moving, while my friend riding in the back of a pickup truck feels the air blowing in his face.  However, both Newton and Galileo still believed there existed an "absolute" motion, as measured by the unchanging framework of the universe.\n\nWith the theory of Special Relativity in 1905, Einstein changed all that and revolutionized physics.  The main idea of special relativity is that the laws of physics should be the same for all observers moving at a constant speed. (Acceleration is not addressed in Special Relativity, but both acceleration and gravity are included in General Relativity, which Einstein formulated 10 years later.)  According to Special Relativity, there are no such things as absolute rest or absolute motion - speed and motion can only be measured against an arbitrary frame of reference, and one reference frame is as valid as any other.  Special Relativity also includes the concept that light travels at an absolute speed which is the same for all observers, regardless of the motion of the observer or the light source. Building on this concept, Special Relativity shows us that not only is motion relative, but so are many other familiar concepts like distance, time, and even energy.  In other words, different observers moving at different speeds will measure quantities such as length, time, and energy differently.  But each observer's measurement is equally valid.  It is the relativity of time that gives us the famous "twins paradox", where an astronaut travelling at very high speeds will age less rapidly than his twin back home on Earth.  Finally, Special Relativity gives us  the famous equation E=mc2, which establishes the equivalence of mass and energy.  All of these ideas were revolutionary and marked the end of Newtonian physics, which had reigned unchallenged for nearly 300 years.
901353
It would have been helpful if you had cited where Einstein said this.\n\nBut here's the deal...all motion is relative (which is why the theory is called the theory of "relativity")...relative to something or somethings.  Even things that seem to be perfectly still, like the tree in your front yard, are moving relative to something...relative to the sun, for example.  In other words, there is no such thing as an absolute motion relative to absolute zero velocity.\n\nWith all these motions (velocities) we have accelerations (v = at; a = v/t) that are, like their velocities, not absolute.  They, too, are relative.  So, as F = ma or F = mv^2/r = (m(v/t)^2)/r, the associated forces are relative.\n\nAs a consequence, there are forces acting on everything, even when none is readily apparent.  That tree, for example, has weight, which is one force.  But it also has a kinetic force (centripetal) due to its spin around the Earth and its revolution around the sun while on the Earth.  Then there's the motion of the solar system around the center of the galaxy, the motion of the galaxy through the universe, and the expansion of the universe itself.\n\nSo a single measured force is really the vector sum of all those other forces created by all those other motions.  So the notion that there is but a single force at work is "fictitious."  The good news is that the single force usually works in our observable world because we can ignore the effects of all those other forces.  But, alas, that is not the case in the relativistic world of near light speeds.  That is probably why Einstein would indicate what you claim he did.
30437
There are two elements to the "Theory of Relativity".\nThe General theory (I'm trying to keep this simple)\nIs that every motion must only be considered as a\n relative motion. That is, as a motion as it relates to \nsomething else, the viewer for example.\n\nThe Special Theory of Relativity is, I believe, incapable of \nbeing simply explained in anything short of a chapter.
122905
Relativity says no such thing.  Where do you get taht from?
29195
There are actually two theories of relativity: special relativity and general relativity. \n\nIn a nutshell, relativity was Einstein's way of saying that nature always appears to have the same laws, no matter where or what you are. And it does this without having to have some sort of base reference place in the universe, or a base time. If you are on a plane going real fast, the speed of light always seems to be the speed of light. Special relativity accounts for this by things like time dilation (time moves at a different rate for you on the plane than for me on the ground.) Your size is different. Your weight is different. But to you it always seems the same.\n\nAnyway, it is a complex subject, and the easiest way to understand special relativity, the first of the two theories is this:\n\nhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special_relativity_for_beginners
876226
Visit this link for a good explanation:\n\nhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Theory_of_relativity
568207
Galileo's principle of relativity essentially states that, regardless of an observer's position or velocity in the universe, all physical laws will appear constant. From this principle, it follows that an observer cannot determine either his absolute velocity or direction of travel in space.\n\nhttp://farside.ph.utexas.edu/teaching/jk1/lectures/node7.html\n\nhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Principle_of_relativity
200022
Friedman Solved Einstein's field equation asuming the abscence of mass and he still came out with a description of energy in the Universe.\nWhat exists in the Univerves is Power in the Structure of Space. Relativity theory calls it space- time.Whether we call it Aether or Time -Space ,Its still the same Animal.\nThe can only be so and only if the Universe has restrains. your question was one of the most interesting ones.