12 Beyond Fascinating Facts About The Theory Of Relativity

In 1905, Einstein published his theory of special relativity, which proved to be a pretty big deal in the mathematics and physics communities. The basic theory states that the laws of physics are exactly the same between objects moving at the same speed. The key is that those objects can't be accelerating - they have to be at a constant speed. It also states that despite your acceleration or speed, the speed of light in a vacuum is the same for everyone.

For ten years after creating the theory of special relativity, Einstein worked to add acceleration into the mix. He had determined that the laws of physics (as in, space and time) were the same for two people moving at the same constant speed. The minute one starts accelerating, however, then you run into problems. The faster you accelerate, the more of a time difference you'll have when observing occurrences with others at different speeds.

In 1911, Einstein created the "equivalence principle," which essentially states that gravity from the mass of an object or from the acceleration of a vessel are the same effect.

If you've ever wondered why a space shuttle launch is so hard on the astronauts, it's because the constant acceleration needed to break the Earth's gravity actually imposes gravitational forces on the people inside the craft. G-Force Centrifuge training prepares astronauts for the effects of that force on their bodies.

In order for all these theories to work, the Universe has to be measured in a different way. Standard X and Y coordinates describe a position in a two-dimensional plane, but because the Universe is a three-dimensional space, a Z coordinate is needed as well. But there's actually a fourth dimension at play in reality: time. "Spacetime" refers to this fusing of time and three dimensional space, and it gave physicists a whole new perspective on understanding the Universe.

When it became apparent to Einstein that gravity could disrupt spacetime, it changed the constants that he was working with. When acceleration (and thus gravity) is constant or non-existent, spacetime is also constant. But when gravity changes, then you need to be prepared to change all the variables.