Most Important Breakthrough in Modern Science
Over the last few centuries, many scientific discoveries have revolutionized the paradigm of modern science. Whether it’s the Big Bang theory or finding the structure of DNA scientific explorations and discoveries have made human civilization one step more towards advancement. The General Theory of Relativity given by Albert Einstein is one of the biggest scientific breakthroughs in entire scientific history. The general theory of relativity is a fundamental theory of physics that describes the nature of space, time, and gravity (Einstein, 1915).
After publishing the Special Theory of Relativity in 1905 AD, to meet its inefficiency to describe the motion of accelerated particles Einstein proposed the General Theory of Relativity in 1915 AD. It states that” The curvature of space-time is caused by the presence of mass and energy.” Contrary to the concept of gravity which is a force between masses given by Issac Newton, the General Theory of Relativity visualizes gravity as a result of the curvature of space-time caused by the presence of mass and energy. Gravitational waves first observed in 2015 provided pronounce evidence to approve the practical existence of this theory. The deflection of light by the sun and the gravitational red shift of light proved this theory right. It explained the very well-known term ‘time dilation’ which explains how time passes slowly in a strong gravitational field which provided the foundation for the establishment of the GPS system.
J. A. Wheeler described this theory in one sentence, “Spacetime tells mass how to move, and mass tells spacetime how to curve?”. It is an influential theory of gravitation; it explains how the curvature of spacetime is caused by the presence of energy and mass and how that curvature determines the motion of objects and even the existence of black holes! Planetary motion around the sun, bending of light as it passes heavy massive bodies, etc are explained by it.
In the modern era, this theory has been a boon. Satellite-based Global Positioning System (GPS), advanced navigation technologies like GLONASS and Galileo, tensor analysis in other forces, application of electromagnetism in dense plasma, particle accelerators and electron microscope are some of the most important results of this theory which has widened the boundary of astronomical, quantum, particle and modern science.
The General Theory of Relativity is one of the most influential and fascinating theories in human civilization which connects the real world with the astronomical realm. It is tough – but has taken science one step more towards advancement and has helped achieve develop more efficient modern technologies.
Reference List:
Einstein, A. (1915). The foundation of the general theory of relativity. Annalen der Physik, 769-822.
