8 real-life examples of Einstein’s theory of relativity

Physicist Albert Einstein began developing his iconic theory of relativity almost 120 years ago. The German proposed to explain the behavior of objects in space and time. The innovative work is still used today to predict objects such as black holes, explain the bending of light by gravity, and explain the behavior of planets in their orbits.

But the big premise of the theory of relativity is that there is no absolute reference: when you measure the speed of an object, it will depend on something else. But this object does not have to be a galaxy on the other side of the Universe; There are small examples in our daily lives that prove Einstein was right. Check out some of them below:

1. GPS (global positioning system)

According to special relativity, satellite clocks move faster than Earth clocks. This time dilation occurs for two reasons: First, it is due to speed; According to Einstein, time flows slower for objects in motion (10 thousand km/h in this case) than for a stationary observer.

The second reason is gravity. It causes time to pass more slowly on the Earth’s surface than in space at an altitude of 20,300 kilometers. According to the website, if this relative effect were not observed, the GPS device showing 0.8 km distance to the next gas station would be off by 8 km after a single day of use. Physics Center.

2. The unique shine of gold

Although the shine of gold is real, it is different from what we see on polished surfaces. This soft yellow color is due to certain relativistic effects, because if you calculate the frequency (color) of light emitted by the metal without taking these effects into account, you will see a silvery glow.

Because gold is a heavy element, its inner electrons move fast enough for the following to occur: an increase in relative mass and a decrease in length. This results in preferential absorption of longer wavelengths of light, such as red and yellow, to the detriment of blue.

3. Gold does not rust

The effect of relativity on gold’s electrons is one of the reasons why the metal does not rust or react easily with substances in the environment that could damage its structure.

According to the theory of relativity, the extremely fast movement of electrons in this element causes their mass to increase and they are kept close to the atomic nucleus. Since there is only one electron in the outermost shell (valence), it is not prone to reacting with other substances, making the metal more valuable.

4. Liquid mercury

Like gold, mercury is a heavy atom, its electrons are very close to the nucleus and therefore faster and more massive. However, this weakens the interatomic bonds, causing this element to have a lower melting point than other metals. That’s why we normally find it in liquid form on Earth.explains World of Chemistry.

5. Old televisions

according to schedule PBS News HourIn the manufacture of early televisions and monitors with cathode ray tube displays, relativistic effects were an important part of the manufacturing processes.

Because each electron fired through the tube produced an illuminated pixel when it reached the back of the screen, special care had to be taken to adjust the magnets that controlled the paths of the particle beams.

6. Sun

Without the principle described in Einstein’s iconic equation (E = mc^two), The universe would be completely dark and the stars would not shine. Very high temperature and pressure at the center of the Sun cause four hydrogen nuclei to form a single helium nucleus.

Since its mass is slightly less than four H protons, the excess mass is converted into energy and appears as sunlight.

7. Electromagnetism

The relativistic effect of magnetism can be demonstrated in a basic generator, which is a coil of conductive wire wound around a ferromagnetic core. Charged particles in the wire are affected by the changing magnetic field, some are forced to move, creating electric current.

But, Even when the wire and its particles are at rest, the magnetic field continues to affect them and a current flows. “Anyone who uses electricity experiences the effects of relativity, as this is the basic principle behind electrical transformers and generators,” explains Thomas Moore of Pomona College in Claremont, US. Live Science.

8. Light

Without relativity, there would be no light, according to Moore, because the theory “requires that changes in the electromagnetic field act at a finite rate rather than instantaneously.”

In other words, the restriction imposed by Einstein, which limits the speed of propagation of information and physical effects to the speed of light, recognizes not only the concept of magnetism (which is associated with the change of electric fields) but also the concept of magnetism. light itself (which is an electromagnetic waveform).

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