Tag: General relativity

Physics Posted on

Throwback Thursday: The 95th Anniversary of Relativity’s Confirmation (Synopsis)

“Oh leave the Wise our measures to collate. One thing at least is certain, light has weight. One thing is certain and the rest debate. Light rays, when near the Sun, do not go straight.” –Arthur Eddington It might seem like General Relativity has been around forever, but it’s been less than a century since it was released and confirmed. In fact, today marks the 95th anniversary of the solar eclipse that changed our view of the Universe! The reaction of the world was priceless, particularly of the New York Times when all was said and done. Whether you’ve heard this story a thousand times or never once before, go read and enjoy this walk down memory lane, and find out about the day that […] Read More

Physics Posted on

1999: Rethinking Relativity

BY TOM BETHEL No one has paid attention yet, but a well-respected physics journal just published an article whose conclusion, if generally accepted, will undermine the foundations of modern physics — Einstein’s Theory of Relativity in particular.  Published in Physics Letters A (December 21, 1998), the article claims that the speed with which the force of gravity propagates must be at least twenty billion times faster than the speed of light.  This would contradict the Special Theory of Relativity of 1905, which asserts that nothing can go faster than light.  This claim about the special status of the speed of light has become part of the world view of educated laymen in the twentieth century. NOTE: Tom Van Flandern‘s article, titled “The Speed of […] Read More

Time Travel Posted on

Traveling Through Time

What is time? Is time travel possible? For centuries, these questions have intrigued mystics, philosophers, and scientists. Much of ancient Greek philosophy was concerned with understanding the concept of eternity, and the subject of time is central to all the world’s religions and cultures. Can the flow of time be stopped? Certainly some mystics thought so. Angelus Silesius, a sixth-century philosopher and poet, thought the flow of time could be suspended by mental powers: Time is of your own making; its clock ticks in your head. The moment you stop thought time too stops dead. The line between science and mysticism sometimes grows thin. Today physicists would agree that time is one of the strangest properties of our universe. In fact, there is a […] Read More