Ashley+M.

 **__The Theory of Relativity and It's Impacts on Society __** Based on extensive research, the theory of relativity created by Albert Einstein in the early 1900's has greatly impacted today's society in many ways; this is because of the ability to understand GPS systems, understand the expanding universe and it's constant motion, as well as the ability to use X-ray telescopes.

The Theory of Relativity is constantly being accepted in today's society. The basics of this theory come from a general idea that all motion is relative to other objects in motion. This theory was produced when Albert Einstein was trying to figure out the discrepancies between the laws of relativity and the law of gravity. Einstein had some disagreements with Newton's Laws of gravity because Einstein did not believe that all forces come from changes in acceleration. Albert Einstein decided to break down his own theories into two seperate theories. He had the theory of general relativity and the theory of special relativity. General Relativity goes perfect with physics and gravity. It is a combination of theories Einstein discovered and Newton's Law of Universal Gravitation dealing with the relationship between earth and the moon. "Special relativity is a theory proposed by Albert Einstein, that describes the propagation of matter and light at high speeds" (Weissien). Physics can be very complex and the theory of relativity is one example of an aspect of physics that is constantly being adapted to and interpreted in new ways each and every day.
 * History/Background Information:**

Today, people hardly go anywhere without the help of their Global Positioning System. It is one of the most useful machines available on today's market. It is evident that Einstein’s theory of relativity has been useful in so many ways in the average person's life. A GPS system uses the constellations in the sky to help determine the exact place on Earth a specific point or place is in relationship to something else which is stationary. “The current GPS configuration consists of a network of 24 satellites in high orbits around the Earth. Each satellite in the GPS constellation orbits at an altitude of about 20,000 km from the ground, and has an orbital speed of about 14,000 km/hour (the orbital period is roughly 12 hours - contrary to popular belief, GPS satellites are not in geosynchronous or geostationary orbits)” (Pogge). The orbits and the time in space all came from Einstein’s theory of Relativity. With the help of the satellites that are used with GPS, people can pinpoint exact locations just from this simple machine. "In 1973 the Department of Defense directed the services to unify their systems. The basis for the new system would be atomic clocks carried on satellites, a concept successfully tested in an earlier Navy program called TIMATION. The Air Force would operate the new system, which it called the Navstar Global Positioning System ." (GPS: A New Constellation). Thanks to Einstein, it all began as a tool for the Department of Defense, but now is something common which we can all use and help make life a little bit easier.
 * Global Positioning Systems:**

The theory of relativity created by Albert Einstein discussed the expanding universe to which all things live it as well as our relationship to it. It was predicted in the early 1900's that the "universe must be either expanding or contracting" (Felder). Because of the nature of gravity, which is attractive, the universe will always be either contracting or expanding. The universe will never be still or stationary even though it can change from expanding to contracting. It is in CONSTANT motion. In Einstein's theory, he talks about the theory of time dilation where "the closer we come to traveling at the sleep of light, the more time would appear to slow down for us from the perspective of someone who, in relation to us, was not moving" (NOVA). The importance of this is that we get a better understanding of motion. We are all living things in the universe; therefore we have to have some sort of a relationship to the universe. People need to recognize this and the theory of relativity can help people who are skeptical to understand it better. Due to the theory of relativity we see that the universe is constantly in motion, there are no stops, therefore time can not stop.
 * Expanding Universe Constantly in Motion:**

X-ray astronomy continues to verify with greater certainty as X-ray telescope technology continues to improve" (NOVA) The X-ray telescope is extremely important in today's world because people can experience a whole different world that is out there waiting to be explored. This world can not be explored with the naked eye, and the X-ray telescope helps make it possible. It works by matter crashing onto a neutron star or by matter falling into a black hole which will shine in the X-rays. Most of this happens in the areas closest to the matter, because at the center of a black hole, there is a large piece of matter and this is where gravity is the greatest. X-rays also have other powers. They have the ability to go through dust and gas which surrounds black holes and neutron stars. This tool, the X-ray telescope can help today's society open their minds and get a better understanding of all the universe has to offer. Astronomy is a complex concept and with the technical advancements including the X-ray telescope, people can get a better grasp of the concept. it is a phenomenon, and "Einstein's equations predicted that a spinning object with a strong gravity would take space-time along for a spin with it" (NOVA). All of this influences scientists because they can now look at events Einstein said would and could happen based on the theory of relativity. Obviously, Einstein was ahead of his time and had an incredible amount of knowledge in his brain that we are just now uncovering.
 * X-Ray Telescope:**

Ever since the first discoveries of Albert Einstein, his experiments have flourished. This includes the theory of Relativity, both the special and general theories. Many theories that have been brought up in the past that now have no use for today's culture. The theory of Relativity however, most definitely has an important impact on today's society because it helps society understand things are seem unexplainable at first glance. For instance, the fact that the Earth is constantly in motion and never stopping has been a topic of discussion for many years. Scientists are now accepting that what Einstein said was true and it is opening the minds of many people in today's society. When people begin to notice all the facts, it also gets easy to see how incredibly small people are in relationship to the universe and all the wonders it envelopes. The theory of the black hole is another example of something which seems unexplainable. This example can go with the theory of the X-ray telescope. The Global Positioning Satellite as well as the X-Ray Telescope is tools which are extremely useful and very much a part of our culture in the present day. Albert Einstein was a man above his time, even though some people think his discoveries and development of the theory of relativity are useless, this is very much not the case. It was not just something that was useful in the twentieth century, but because of the technologies that are being formed with a basis on the theory of relativity, it is evident that the theory of relativity is needed in today's world. People would have to be able to read a map if it was not for Einstein and they would not get the ability to see constellations at a greater look without the theory of relativity, therefore it is extremely important and people should realize the amazing discoveries of Albert Einstein. In the future, Einsteins' theories will continue to be a promising factor in the world of physics. The theory of relativity wil make further research possible and more technologies will become available based on this theory.
 * Conclusion:**

  Pogge, Richard. "GPS and Relativity." __The Ohio State University Department of Astronomy__. 27 Jan. 2009 < http://www.astronomy.ohio-state.edu/~pogge/Ast162/Unit5/gps.html >. This site describes the relationship between satellites and global positioning systems. It describes the twenty-four satellites in high orbit around the earth. It is written by Richard Pogge and it copyrighted therefore it is a credible source. this site also describes how the orbits work and when they send signals down. It is a good resource because it describes a present day example of the theory of relativity.
 * Works Cited:**

Lightman, Alan. "NOVA | Einstein's Big Idea | Relativity (Lightman Essay) | PBS." __PBS__. 27 Jan. 2009 .

The article goes through the history of Einstein's theory of relativity.It explains the theory and goes on to link the theory to other concepts such as the black hole. The author of the story acknowledges the importance of Einstein's theory. He also expresses the idea that if Einstein had not been thinking about the concept of relativity, it could have been years before any other physist would have come up with the same concept. Lightman (the author) considers the concept of relativity as "the biggest leap of scientific imagination in history". The article goes through other theories and links relativity to them.  Felder, Gary. "General Relativity: Einstein: Physics." __NC State: WWW4 Server__. 27 Jan. 2009 < http://www4.ncsu.edu/unity/lockers/users/f/felder/public/kenny/papers/gr1.html <span style="font-family: Tahoma, Geneva, sans-serif;">>.

This article can be found online on the www4.ncsu.edu site. Gary Felder, a professor at Smith College as well as a Ph.D, wrote this article to help lay a foundation for those who don't really know much about the theory of relativity. It is mainly targeted to students. The site gives a basic overview of the general relativity dealing with space, time and gravity and then proceeds to get into more and more detail. The web page was copyrighted in 2003, but the entire site was copyrighted in 2008 so the information is recent and since both of the authors are professors, the information is credible. "The GPS Revolution - GPS: A New Constellation." __Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum__. 27 Jan. 2009 <http://www.nasm.si.edu/gps/revolution.html>.

This site is a general site on Global Positioning Systems and their interactions with Constellations. It is from the Smithsonian Air and Space Institution which is a credible and reliable source. It describes how satellites work which is all a part of Einstein's Theory of Relativity. This aritcle describes how GPS started out with the Department of defense and is now being used by people all over the world. This site is good for information about GPS but not so much the theory of relativity.

Weisstein, Eric. "Special Relativity -- from Eric Weisstein's World of Physics." __ScienceWorld__. 27 Jan. 2009 <http://scienceworld.wolfram.com/physics/SpecialRelativity.html>.

This site is a web page found on the internet. The author's purpose is to provide people who have basic knowledge on the theory of relativity with a little more in-depth look. It uses equations to back up theory as well as telling how Einstein came about the theory, however it is easy to understand.

" Google Image Result for http://static.howstuffworks.com/gif/gps-3.jpg." __Google Image Search__. 26 Jan. 2009 http://static.howstuffworks.com/gif/dark-matter-2.jpg

This site provided me with a picture of our galaxy and stars which are visible thanks to the X-ray telescope.

"Google Image Result for [|http://www.astro.virgina.edu]." __Google Image Search__. 26 Jan. 2009 http://www.astro.virginia.edu/~jh8h/Foundations/Foundations_1/m100.gif

Through this site I was able to find a picture of the expanding universe.

"Google Image Result for http://www.gpsgazette.com/images/Harman-Kardon/GPS-500.jpg." 27 Jan 2009. http://www.gpsgazette.com/images/Harman-Kardon/GPS-500.jpg

This site provided me with a picture of a Global Positioning System.