Relativity Essay - 1956 Words

Relativity is a theory in physics that can be basically implies that space and time are one in the same. This is absolutely counterintuitive to classical physics which has the two as completely different entities. Relativity can be separated into two basic concepts: Special and General Relativity. Within Relativity the fundamental concept above all else is that space and time are intertwined with each other in the universe as a fabric called space-time. Simply put, Special Relativity deals with the laws of Physics when observers are all moving uniformly relative to each other while General Relativity expands on the idea to include gravitation and acceleration. (Lieber, Lillian R. The Einstein Theory of Relativity. Philadelphia: Paul Dry,†¦show more content†¦However this is not the same for the beam of light fired from the laser pointer. This is because light is an electromagnetic wave that is independent of the motion of its starting point. It will always travel at 299,792, 458 m/s because light’s speed only depends on the medium through which it travels and the motion of the object it is created from is completely irrelevant. (Lieber, Lillian R. The Einstein Theory of Relativity. Philadelphia: Paul Dry, 2008. Print. p. 4-37)( Einstein, Albert, and Robert W. Lawson. Relativity; the Special and General Theory,. New York: H. Holt and, 1920. 21-25. Print.) This postulate developed by Einstein has what some would call key problems and would cause uproar in conventional thinking. Things such as time now become variables when original thinking classified it as an unchanging constant. Just thinking about this prospect can be mind boggling. Time is something that everyone takes for granted as being a constant flow, just ticking away, and perpetual. But, in fact, it is something that depends entirely on space-time. How do we know that time is relative? Imagine a different kind of clock. This clock is unique because instead of a hand ticking away it is actually a beam of light bouncing between two mirrors. This would seem the most logical choice of an accurate clock because light is a constant right? As we observe the clock it ticks off at regularShow MoreRelatedLinguistic Relativity Essay1508 Words   |  7 PagesIntroduction: Linguistic relativity is the notion that language can affect our thought processes, and is often referred to as the ‘Sapir-Whorf hypothesis’, after the two linguists who brought the idea into the spotlight. Whorf writes how â€Å"Language is not merely a reproducing instrument for voicing ideas but rather is itself the shaper of ideas, the program and guide for the individual’s mental activity† (1956:212), and I will explain how it is able to do so. 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