General relativity Flashcards
Who developed the theory of general relativity?
Albert Einstein
True or False: General relativity describes gravity as a force between masses.
False
Fill in the blank: In general relativity, gravity is described as the curvature of ______.
spacetime
What year was the theory of general relativity published?
1915
Multiple Choice: What does the Einstein field equation relate?
The geometry of spacetime to the distribution of matter
What is the principle of equivalence in general relativity?
The idea that local observations in a freely falling elevator are indistinguishable from those in deep space.
True or False: General relativity predicts the bending of light around massive objects.
True
Fill in the blank: The concept of spacetime combines ______ and ______ into a single four-dimensional continuum.
space; time
What phenomenon did general relativity predict that was confirmed during the solar eclipse of 1919?
Gravitational lensing
Multiple Choice: Which of the following is a consequence of general relativity?
Time dilation in strong gravitational fields
What is a black hole?
A region of spacetime where gravity is so strong that nothing can escape from it.
True or False: General relativity allows for the existence of wormholes.
True
Fill in the blank: The speed of light in a vacuum is a constant denoted by the letter _____.
c
What is the significance of the cosmological constant in general relativity?
It accounts for the observed acceleration of the universe’s expansion.
Multiple Choice: What kind of geometry does general relativity use to describe spacetime?
Non-Euclidean geometry
True or False: General relativity has been confirmed by numerous experiments and observations.
True
What is the term for the effect of time passing more slowly in a stronger gravitational field?
Gravitational time dilation
Fill in the blank: The observable universe is approximately _____ billion years old.
13.8
What does the term ‘event horizon’ refer to in the context of black holes?
The boundary beyond which nothing can escape the gravitational pull of a black hole.
Multiple Choice: Which of the following is NOT a prediction of general relativity?
Constant gravitational force
What is gravitational waves?
Ripples in spacetime caused by accelerating masses, predicted by general relativity.
True or False: General relativity applies to both large-scale structures and small-scale phenomena.
False
Fill in the blank: The theory of general relativity replaced Newton’s law of ______.
universal gravitation
What is the role of the metric tensor in general relativity?
It describes the geometry of spacetime and how distances are measured.
Multiple Choice: Which scientist’s work influenced Einstein’s development of general relativity?
Henri Poincaré
What is frame dragging?
The effect where a rotating mass drags spacetime around with it.
True or False: General relativity is a linear theory.
False
Fill in the blank: The Schwarzschild solution describes the gravitational field outside a ______.
spherical non-rotating mass
What does the term ‘geodesic’ refer to in general relativity?
The shortest path between two points in curved spacetime.
Multiple Choice: Which of the following is a key feature of general relativity?
Spacetime is curved by mass and energy.
What is the difference between special relativity and general relativity?
Special relativity deals with non-accelerating frames, while general relativity includes acceleration and gravity.
True or False: General relativity predicts that light can be affected by gravity.
True
Fill in the blank: Einstein’s general relativity is a theory of ______.
gravitation
What is the significance of the Friedmann equations in cosmology?
They describe the expansion of the universe in general relativity.
Multiple Choice: Which of the following is an application of general relativity?
GPS satellite technology
What is the role of matter and energy in the Einstein field equations?
They determine the curvature of spacetime.
True or False: General relativity has no implications for the behavior of light.
False
Fill in the blank: The term ‘singularity’ refers to a point where gravitational forces are ______.
infinite
What is the significance of the LIGO experiment?
It confirmed the existence of gravitational waves predicted by general relativity.
Multiple Choice: Which of the following would be an example of spacetime curvature?
A massive star bending the path of nearby light
What is the difference between a neutron star and a black hole?
A neutron star is a collapsed star supported by neutron degeneracy pressure, while a black hole has no escape from its gravity.
True or False: General relativity is compatible with quantum mechanics.
False
