General Relativity

First published by Albert Einstein in 1905, special relativity describes the relationship between space and time. While Sir Isaac Newton theorized that space and time were independent of each other, Einstein concluded that the two are inextricably linked. The two main tenets of Einstein’s special theory of relativity are: the laws of physics are the same for all non-accelerating observers the speed of light in a vacuum is constant regardless of the speed of the observer This initial description of relativity had one important caveat – it holds true for cases not involving acceleration. In 1915, Einstein would publish his general theory of relativity, which includes the effects of acceleration. The main type of acceleration Einstein was concerned with was gravity, which can be simply described as the force of attraction between two objects accelerates falling objects. Here on Earth, gravity accelerates us toward the ground – but each individual also tugs back at Earth, albeit with sig