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__Einstein's Theory of Relativity__
In the early twentieth century, German physicist Albert Einstein developed the profound Theory of Relativity. This theory is one that provided a basic idea used in Physics for years to come. Two branch theories have developed from this one theory.

The Special Theory of Relativity-This theory describes the effects of straight-line, constant-velocity motion on the mass and size of objects through the passage of time. It also explains that mass and energy can be transformed into each other and that any kind of movement faster than the speed of light is impossible.

The General Theory of Relativity-This theory describes the effects of curved or accelerated motion and of gravitational fields on mass, size, and time. It also explains how matter and space are influenced within the universe to make some believe that it is finite in size.

The Theory of Relativity has been thoroughly experimented and has been proven to be highly accurate. These experimental procedures include X-Ray Astronomy, binary pulsar, and GPS capabilities.

X-Ray Astronomy is a specific tool to help prove or disprove Einstein's 1915 General Theory of Relativity. These X-Ray telescopes are used to look into the innermost regions of black holes and neutron stars. "General Relativity defines gravity as a result of mass distorting both space and time, a four-dimensional concept called spacetime. Nowhere is this more evident than in the regions around a black hole and neutron star, sources of extreme gravity" (Lochner 1). X-Rays are the only tools that can penetrate through large amounts of dust and other forms of mass to get good pictures of the black holes and neutron stars (Lochner 1). Future x-ray tools are in development to get us closer to a black hole so that we can truly test the General Theory of Relativity.

Einstein's brilliance influenced scholars in the later years. For instance, in 1974 U.S. physicists Joseph Taylor and Russell Hulse discovered something known as a binary pulsar. In 1993, they were awarded a Pulitzer Prize for this discovery. A pulsar is a rapidly moving neutron star. This is also the final state of most stars. A binary pulsar is when two pulsars orbit each other. Pulsars are extremely dense and therefore have an extremely strong gravitational force. "General relativity predicts that some systems of objects—including binary pulsars—should emit gravity waves that travel at the speed of light, and that these waves should remove energy from such systems" ("General Relativity"). This causes there to be a decrease in speed of the pulsars therefore helping to prove Einstein's Theory of Relativity.

Global positioning system (GPS) is also useful when evaluating Einstein's Theory of Relativity. This system was developed through satellites. Einstein said that a person traveling at the speed of light could essentially cause a descrepency in time compared to someone just standing on Earth. "The combination of these two relativitic effects means that the clocks on-board each satellite should tick faster than identical clocks on the ground by about 38 microseconds per day (45-7=38)! This sounds small, but the high-precision required of the GPS system requires nanosecond accuracy, and 38 microseconds is 38,000 nanoseconds. If these effects were not properly taken into account, a navigational fix based on the GPS constellation would be false after only 2 minutes, and errors in global positions would continue to accumulate at a rate of about 10 kilometers each day" ("Real-World Relativity").

Einstein's Theory of Relativity has remained as one of the most debated topics throughout history. Although Einstein did not have the technology that we do today, he predicted numerous things involving space and time that were yet to come. Hopefully our society will continue to discover new things about the relationship between time and space.

"GPS and Relativity." __The Ohio State University Department of Astronomy__. 27 Jan. 2009 . ** This site, updated in 2004, contains lots of good information on GPS and the Theory of Relativity. However, it does not have an author, yet it is copyrighted to Richard Pogge. It is well-organized and contains tons of information on the relationship between GPS and Relativity. It also seems like it is a good source since its credited by the Ohio State University Department of Astrology. "General Relativity - History, Basic Concepts Of The Theory, Consequences Of General Relativity - General relativity, Experimental verification."__Science Encyclopedia__. 27 Jan. 2009 . Although this article does not provide a specific author, it is published by a site that consists of a network of free online encyclopedias. On the publisher's homepage, it is noted that the site was made "by webmasters for webmasters." The article is well organized and has a lot of information, including links on certain words to more information on that topic. The article explains, fairly extensively, the theory of general relativity. The article itself is not dated, but the site has a copywrite 2009. "X-ray Astronomy Puts Einstein to the Test." __Imagine The Universe! Home Page__. 27 Jan. 2009 This website explains the current astronomy regarding x-rays. This website actually compares current science to Einstein's findings, and gives examples of how Einstein's research may or may not always be followed by x-rays. The author gave fairly extensive descriptions about x-rays and the theory of relativity. Although it has a lot of information, this website may not necessarily be the best choice for research on the theory of relativity, but rather on Einstein.
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