General Relativity Flashcards
What is general relativity?
A theory of gravitation
What is general relativity?
Mass tells spacetime how to curve and spacetime tells mass how to move
What are reference frames that are not accelerating called?
What is inertia?
Inertial reference frames
Inertia- A property that resists change in motion
What is a Lorentz transformation normally used for?
Converting measurements in inertial reference frames from one measurement to another
What is the equivalence principle?
The effect due to a gravitational field and acceleration at an equivalent rate are identical
As you travel faster what happens?
Time slows down more and more
What is not constant within non-inertial reference frames?
Time, amongst other things
As the spaceship accelerates what happens to the time for light to travel from A to B? (A is sending a flash of light)
Time increases (B says A’s clock is running slow)
B sends a flash of light every second (according to their watch)to A, B is closer to the front of the ship A is at the back it is accelerating, how will A see the light?
The interval getting smaller. A see’s B’s clock as running fast.
What do both gravitational fields and acceleration cause a clock to do?
Makes a moving clock run slow
The closer you are to the surface of the earth…
The slower time passes
What would happen if general relativity isn’t taken into account with sat nav?
There would be a noticeable difference between speeds measured on Earth and by sat nav
If an object was to fall into a black hole it would…
Accelerate
Time slows down until it stops entirely. Without time the laws of physics break down, what is this called?
A singularity
Where can we use Euclidian geometry? When does this not work?
Most of the time because it works on an everyday level. When we take time into account as its another (4th) dimension.
What does general relativity suggest that the communication between two objects with mass is due to?
The curvature of spacetime created by the mass of each object.
What do all masses curve?
Spacetime to some degree
Masses cause what? (In spacetime/gravitation)
Ripples called gravitational waves
What is the principle of covariance?
The mass of an object tells spacetime how to curve. The curve of spacetime tells masses how to move.
What is a curved path known as?
Geodesic
How do we travel to the moon?
Via a curved path which matches the curve of spacetime
What are the spacetime diagrams axis?
One or two space dimensions on the x-axis. Other space dimensions on the z-axis. Time is vertically on the y-axis.
