Einstein’s Relativity
What was the happiest day of your life?
• Dreaming of your crush
• Winning a lottery
• Flying in your dreams
• A treat from your friend
• A sweet letter
• Etc.
WHAT DO YOU THINK IS EINSTEIN
HAPPIEST DAY OF HIS LIFE?
The Modern Theory of Gravitation
• Albert Einstein’s happiest thought of his life
• In 1907, while Albert Einstein was sitting in the patent office,
he envisioned a person falling from the roof of a building.
• He later considered this idea as "the happiest thought of his
life, because he was imagining that as the person was falling,
he became weightless. That by going free fall, there will be no
gravitational force.
• This idea refers to Einstein’s Principle of Equivalence,
which states that gravity is equivalent to a uniformly
accelerated reference frame and served as the backbone of
his General Theory of Relativity.
PRETEST
• Direction: Read each question carefully. Choose the letter of the best
answer. Write your answer on your notebook.
1. What planet in the solar system is most affected by the sun’s warping
of space-time?
a. Mercury c. Earth
b. Venus d. Mars
2. How does General Relativity view gravity?
a. Gravity warps space and time.
b. Gravity is the curvature of space-time.
c. Gravity warps mass.
d. Gravity is a force.
PRETEST
3. Which is true about time according to general relativity?
a. Time slows down with gravity.
b. Time accelerates with gravity.
c. Time is pulled down by gravity.
d. Time can’t be changed by gravity.
4. How does the curvature of space-time affect the light from distant
stars?
a. The curvature of space-time reflects light passing through it.
b. The curvature of space-time bends light passing through it.
c. The curvature of space-time does not allow light pass through it.
d. The curvature of space-time absorbs the light passing through it.
PRETEST
5. Which is an application of the concepts of Einstein’s
General Theory of Relativity?
a. using an electromagnet
b. adjustments made in Global Positioning System or GPS
c. presence of light
d. all of the above
6. What must be the velocity of an object to escape a black
hole?
a. less than c c. equal to c
b. zero d. greater than c
7. How does mass affect the warping of space-time?
a. The greater the mass of an object, the space-time
around it becomes more distorted.
b. The greater the mass of an object, the space-time
around it becomes less distorted.
c. The lesser the mass of an object, the space-time
around it becomes more distorted.
d. The mass of an object does not affect the warping of
space-time.
For nos. 8 and 9, refer to the table below:
Planet Mass (1024kg) Diameter (km)
Venus 4.87 12,104
Earth 5.97 12,756
Jupiter 1898 142,984
Uranus 86.8 51,118
8. Based on the data, what planet can warp space-time the most?
a. Venus c. Jupiter
b. Earth d. Uranus
9. Based on the data, what planet can warp space-time the least?
a. Venus c. Jupiter
b. Earth d. Uranus
10. What is an example of a non-inertial frame of
reference?
a. a stationary frame c. Earth
b. moving frame d. a rotating frame
Let’s Check!
1. C
2. A
3. A
4. D
5. B
6. C
7. A
8. C
9. A
10. D
General Relativity, deals with non-inertial or
accelerating frames of reference. In this theory,
Einstein did not consider gravity as a force but a
product of the warping or curving of space-time.
This idea is contrary to Isaac Newton’s Law of
Universal Gravitation, in which gravity is viewed as
a force of attraction between objects due to their
masses.
Space-time is a four-dimensional continuum
composed of the three dimensional space and one
dimension of time.
Warping or curving of space-time can be simulated
with the use of a fabric. Rolling a ball across the fabric
makes it move in a straight line motion. But if you
place a heavier ball or object at the center, the fabric
it will become distorted. Once you roll a ball again, it
will no longer move in a straight line. Hence, it will
follow a curved path around the heavier ball at the
middle and that is how warping of space-time
happens.
A representative visual illustration of warped spacetime under Einstein's general relativity
Moreover, General Relativity explains the
warping of space-time quantitatively
defining how the mass and energy of a
cosmic body determines the shape of the
space-time. The greater the mass of a
cosmic body, the greater the distortion it
will create in the space-time.
Complete the Concept Map.
