100 years ago, the way we viewed our Universe was vastly different than the way we view it now. The night sky, with stars, planets, comets, asteroids, nebulae, and the Milky Way, was viewed to make up the entire contents of the Universe.
The Universe was static, governed by two laws only: Newton's Gravity and Maxwell's Electromagnetism. There were the first hints that the Universe was made up of quantum particles, such as the photoelectric effect, Rutherford's first hints at the existence of the nucleus, and Planck's view that energy was quantized. But other than that -- and Einstein's new Theory of Special Relativity, there were very few mysteries about the Universe in 1909. But one of them would change our view of the Universe forever.
You see, there was a tiny, tiny problem with the planet Mercury. Its orbit just wasn't quite right. Kepler's Laws (which can be derived from Newton's Gravity) said that all the planets should move in ellipses around the Sun. But Mercury (above) doesn't quite do that. Mercury makes an ellipse that precesses -- or rotates -- ever so slightly. Specifically, it precessed at a rate of 1.555 degrees per century. A greatly exaggerated example of precession is shown below:
Now, physicists and astronomers have always been very detail-oriented people. So they calculated what the effects of the Earth's equinoxes precessing were, and were able to account for 1.396 of those degrees. They realized that there were seven other major planets (and the asteroids) acting on Mercury, and that was able to account for another 0.148 degrees. That left them with only 0.011 degrees per century that was different between their theoretical predictions and their observations. But this minuscule difference was significant enough that it led some to consider that Newton's Law of Universal Gravitation might be wrong.
The same guy who discovered the photoelectric effect, special relativity, and E=mc^2 came up with a new theory of gravity. Instead of an "action at a distance" due to mass, this new theory said that space gets bent by energy, and causes everything -- even massless things -- to bend beneath what we see as gravity.
Now this new theory was very interesting for a few reasons. First off, it accounted for those 0.011 degrees that Newton's Gravity did not. Second, it predicted -- as a simple solution -- the existence of black holes. And third, it predicted that something very exciting and testable would happen: that light would be bent by gravity.
Big deal, said Newton's advocates. If I take E=mc^2, and I know that light has energy, I can just substitute E/c^2 for mass in Newton's equations, and get a prediction that Newton's gravity would bend light, too. It just so happened that Einstein's bending was predicted to be twice as much as Newton's bending, and that there was a total Solar Eclipse coming up in 1919. The stage was set for the most dramatic test of gravity ever.
The director of Cambridge Observatory, Sir Arthur Eddington, led an expedition to observe the total solar eclipse of May 29, 1919. During an eclipse, the sky gets dark enough that you can see stars, even close to the Sun. So Eddington set out to map the position of the stars when they were close to the Sun, and see how the Sun bent the light. Would it match up with Einstein's prediction, Newton's prediction, or would it not bend at all?
Image credit: American Institute of Physics.
Lo and behold, Einstein's prediction was spot on. Just like that, Newton's theory of Universal Gravitation, the most solid foundation in all of physics -- unchallenged for over 200 years -- was obsolete. All of this was done in the years 1909-1919, and it was just the start of changing how we view the Universe.
And (FYI) so far, in the 90 years since, every single prediction of Einstein's gravity that's ever been tested -- from gravitational lensing to binary pulsar decay to time dilation in a gravitational field -- have confirmed General Relativity as the most successful physical theory of all-time.
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This is soooo cooool, thank you very much for doing this !
That last picture of the eclipse, what exactly are those rings? Stars that are being gravitationally lensed?
And best of all, this continued the simplification of the motions of the planets. From complicated spirals orchestrated by the hands of Gods, to elipses (admittedly more complicated than the circles which closely predated them) to straight lines! And all due to the simple fact that time doesn't progress at all places the same way so that space as a result is not a flat and empty stage for other forces, but is instead locally directional! What a grand discovery about the workings of things!
BUT I have read several times before that QED is even more accurate to experimental evidence than the General Theory. I suppose there isn't much of a reason to compare apples to oranges though, especially considering the problems in mathematically rectifying the two.
Matt, for one of the actual 1919 eclipse images see here. The stars are between the pairs of horizontal marker lines. They are much smaller than in the above picture.
"QED is even more accurate to experimental evidence than the General Theory." -- so what? We don't have a Grand Unified Theory that reconciles the two scientific paradigms.
We have clues, but they have mostly been eliminating suspects.
QED breaks down at a small enough scale. So does General Relativity. Unfortunately, the physical universe, so far as we know, exists and operates with no complaints at that scale.
This is a grand challenge for the 21st century. If not completed as classwork in this century, take this away as homework, due in the 22nd century...
Einstein himself was not surprised at all by this finding, his theory is simply mathematically more "beaufiful" than Newtons gravity equation.
Thank you for using the proper Einstein picture for this. As Harry Kroto says, it's important that all these important - groundbreaking - discoveries (you left out Brownian motion - the final confirmation of Atomic Theory) weren't made by that old geezer with the crazy hair.
Isn't there talk that Eddington's results weren't all that clear and that he may have suffered from some degree of confirmation bias (like all those people repeating Millikan's experiment).
Interesting! Nice to read.
Very nice post. It is really amazing to watch the progress of scientific thought and the evolution of theories as time goes by.
"...have confirmed General Relativity as the most successful physical theory of all-time."
Them's fightin' words! Successful? Successful at what? 'Splainin your namby-pamby telescope observations?
It's clear to me that quantum mechanics is the most successful theory of all time! QED's the most successful at cranking out digits of precision, nonrelativistic quantum is the most successful at explaining the structure of the matter around us in everyday life, and Bell's inequality is the most successful with the ladies, if you know what I mean.
This story just proves that scientists are always wrong about everything, and we must trust our gut instincts and/or preferred holy books for answers. Or something. Nah.
Well done. I'd like to see a history of how quantum mechanics has shattered Einstein's theory of relativity.
Interesting story. Einstein was so smart!
Thanks for another fun post.
I recall reading something saying that Newton knew his theory of gravity needed a correction. Something, maybe from an Einstein biography, where he was impressed by how Newton himself was aware of this issue. Has anyone else seen that? If so could you remind me where it came from?
Showdown again SM vs GR tickets available!
"nonrelativistic quantum is the most successful at explaining the structure of the matter around us" Hah? You can't formulate a consistent theory of Quantum Electrodynamics let alone QCD without relativity. You MUST have it or something equivalent. It is built into QM. Special Relativity that is.
Rich Gallen - We all would like to see a history of how QM shattered GR. Unfortunately it has never happened. As was said EVERY single possible observation we have ever made that could be applied has supported GR. With some reservations this is also true of the Standard Model. They don't predict the same things. Anything they do predict differently or break down on we can't test right now.
"time doesn't progress at all places the same way"
Nitpick: I don't think you can compare clocks in different places at all (hence you could say they progress the same as measured by clocks), but compare in inertial (SR) or even accelerating (GR) frames.
Well done. I'd like to see a history of how quantum mechanics has shattered Einstein's theory of relativity. louboutin
Einstein himself was not surprised at all by this finding, his theory is simply mathematically more "beaufiful" than Newtons gravity equation. Christian Louboutin
New research has imaged gravity field forcons by solving the correlation function for mapping the set of virtual force photons onto the spacetime manifold of the atom's 5/2 kT J heat capacity energy cloud. This system uses spacons and chronons for strict quantized relativity.
The atom's RQT (relative quantum topological) data point imaging function is built by combination of the relativistic Einstein-Lorenz transform functions for time, mass, and energy with the workon quantized electromagnetic wave equations for frequency and wavelength. The atom labeled psi (Z) pulsates at the frequency {Nhu=e/h} by cycles of {e=m(c^2)} transformation of nuclear surface mass to forcons with joule values, followed by nuclear force absorption. This radiation process is limited only by spacetime boundaries of {Gravity-Time}, where gravity is the force binding space to psi, forming the GT integral atomic wavefunction. The expression is defined as the series expansion differential of nuclear output rates with quantum symmetry numbers assigned along the progression to give topology to the solutions.
Next, the correlation function for the manifold of internal heat capacity particle 3D functions condensed due to radial force dilution is extracted; by rearranging the total internal momentum function to the photon gain rule and integrating it for GT limits. This produces a series of 26 topological waveparticle functions of five classes; {+Positron, Workon, Thermon, -Electromagneton, Magnemedon}, each the 3D data image of a type of energy intermedon of the 5/2 kT J internal energy cloud, accounting for all of them.
Those values intersect the sizes of the fundamental physical constants: h, h-bar, delta, nuclear magneton, beta magneton, k (series). They quantize nuclear dynamics by acting as fulcrum particles. The result is the picoyoctometric, 3D, interactive video atomic model data imaging function, responsive to keyboard input of virtual photon gain events by relativistic, quantized shifts of electron, force, and energy field states and positions.
Images of the h-bar magnetic energy waveparticle of ~175 picoyoctometers are available online at http://www.symmecon.com with the complete RQT atomic modeling guide titled The Crystalon Door, copyright TXu1-266-788. TCD conforms to the unopposed motion of disclosure in U.S. District (NM) Court of 04/02/2001 titled The Solution to the Equation of Schrodinger.
(C) 2009, Dale B. Ritter, B.A.
Interesting story. Einstein was very smart! kitchen cabinet knobs
Interesting story. Einstein was very smart! kitchen cabinet knobs
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@ Bruce | June 15, 2009 5:36 AM
I wish I could help you, but I don't remember where it is either, though I also read that somewhere. That's how I got here, trying to Google it, and it picked up your comment.
Is it true that Eddington made Einstein Famous?
Einstein is really famous today and the future...
Is it true that Eddington made Einstein Famous?
Hi Ethan,
I am an artist, not a scientist, and love your photos. I am looking for the source of the top photo with the nighttime sky and the comet for use in a book project. Any ideas how I can get a hold of that? Thanks so much and I hope to hear from you!
Sincerely,
Karla Refojo
Stupidity is relativity theory
Einstein is an idiot
And Eddington is the grand idiot
Poor judgment is when you invite the NRA's Wayne LaPierre and Susan Brady to a small dinner party. Arguing for torture and misrepresenting settled law to facilitate a torture program is usually viewed as something of a slightly higher order than "poor judgment" or "bad form."
This was how Albert Einstein enquired, with affected nonchalance, about an exhibition mounted by English astrophysicist Arthur Eddington. It was 1919, and Einstein was not yet the world-famous revolutionary scientist.
That left them with only 0.011 degrees per century that was different between their theoretical predictions and their observations. But this minuscule difference was significant enough that it led some to consider that Newton's Law of Universal Gravitation might be wrong.
This is the story of Einstein's theory of general relativity, his relationship with Eddington and the introduction of this theory to the world, against the backdrop of the Great War.
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"QED is even more accurate to experimental evidence than the General Theory." -- so what? We don't have a Grand Unified Theory that reconciles the two scientific paradigms.
EInsteinused 6% of his brains and we use 0.03%.
That last picture of the eclipse, what exactly are those rings? Stars that are being gravitationally lensed?
Einstein himself was not surprised at all by this finding, his theory is simply mathematically more "beaufiful" than Newtons gravity equation.
Focused on money coming in rather than money going out, a key campaign finance distinction, this case might appear to be far afield the considerations of Citizens United.
I am an artist, not a scientist, and love your photos. I am looking for the source of the top photo with the nighttime sky and the comet for use in a book project. Any ideas how I can get a hold of that? Thanks so much and I hope to hear from you!
Sincerely,
So Eddington set out to map the position of the stars when they were close to the Sun, and see how the Sun bent the light. Would it match up with Einstein's prediction, Newton's prediction, or would it not bend at all?
there was a meteor show on friday and i missed it! i can never forgive myself for this!
I suppose there isn't much of a reason to compare apples to oranges though, especially considering the problems in mathematically rectifying the two.
From complicated spirals orchestrated by the hands of Gods, to elipses (admittedly more complicated than the circles which closely predated them) to straight lines!
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Excellent blog. The universe system is defined in a superb way.
Nothing is constant. Even our universe has gone through numerous changes in the last 100 years or so. It is a great universe that we live in at the moment imo.
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They realized that there were seven other major planets (and the asteroids) acting on Mercury, and that was able to account for another 0.148 degrees.
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After a stint in the theater world, he moved on to motion pictures as a character actor for Universal.
A supermajority believes that using the so-called "deeming" process is undemocratic.
Mark Dolan (of Channel 4's 'The World's...and Me' series) presented the showcase of HIV: The Musical, Man Made, 1000 Voices, War School and No Way Through, which were all received with rapturous applause, before the buzzing crowd were further indulged with performances by Jesca Hoop, The Thirst, Chipmunk and Shy Child.
Great, what I like is that after the eclipse Einstein thought that everybody will forget this after 2-3 years :-)
Albert Einstein was born in Ulm, in the Kingdom of Württemberg in the German Empire on 14 March 1879.[8] His father was Hermann Einstein, a salesman and engineer. His mother was Pauline Einstein (née Koch). In 1880, the family moved to Munich, where his father and his uncle founded Elektrotechnische Fabrik J. Einstein & Cie, a company that manufactured electrical equipment based on direct current.[8]
They called it hedonic adaptation, which suggests that we each have a baseline level of happiness. No matter what happens, good or bad, the effect on our happiness
After the war, Eddington travelled to the island of PrÃncipe near Africa to watch the solar eclipse of May 29, 1919. During the eclipse, he took pictures of the stars in the region around the Sun. According to the theory of general relativity, stars near the Sun would appear to have been slightly shifted because their light had been curved by its gravitational field. This effect is noticeable only during an eclipse, since otherwise the Sun's brightness obscures the stars. Eddington showed that Newtonian gravitation could also be interpreted to predict half that predicted by Einstein. Somewhat confusingly, this same half-shift was predicted by Einstein with an incomplete version of general relativity.
It has been claimed that Eddington's observations were of poor quality and he had unjustly discounted simultaneous observations at Sobral, Brazil which appeared closer to the Newtonian model;[1]. The quality of the 1919 results were of poor quality compared to later observations, but were sufficient to persuade contemporary astronomers. The rejection of the results from the Brazil expedition were due to a defect in the telescopes used, which, again, was completely accepted and well-understood by contemporary astronomers. The myth that Eddington's results were fraudulent is a modern invention, and there is little evidence to support it.
Have fun with your path and make plenty of little branching destinations. I'm sure that what to put in them will come to you slowly, as you start to savor and understand unique characteristics that made you choose each place as a destination.
It's a resin, and is rather challenging to try and do yourself for the first time. I helped the guy that did the bar for our restaurant, and it is a slow process, and requires the enviorment to not have any moving air in it, as to not allow any dust or airborne particals fly into this as you pour it, cause once it is in there, it's in there. There is also a technique used (invloving a spray bottle of water) you do to help eliminate the air bubbles. I would highly recommend using a scrap peice of wood to practice on, before trying this on your bar top, as once applied, is near impossible to undo and remove. The link below will give you more info on resin and links on types
After British solar eclipse expeditions in 1919 reported confirmation that light rays from distant stars were deflected by the gravity of the Sun in the amount he had predicted in his theory of relativity, Einstein became world-famous, an unusual achievement for a scientist. The London Times ran the headline on 7 November 1919: "Revolution in science - New theory of the Universe - Newtonian ideas overthrown". In popular culture, his name has become synonymous with great intelligence and genius.
The above results were the original observations that confirmed the theory âin a thoroughly satisfactory mannerâ As you can see from the inconsistant results he was not given world wide recognition because the prediction was accurate, He was made an Icon because he predicted that light would bend at all.
What is not publicly taught is that it was Newton who actually predicted that light would bend in such a situation, and yes as Citizen 1, or Wikipedia, points out, that predicted amount was smaller than Einsteinâs.
Issac Newton. Invented Calculus - both differential and integral. Worked out the laws of gravity (which explained Kepler's laws of planetary motion), physics (first three laws you learn in Physics), split light into its component colors, invented the reflecting telecopse, and developed many other mathematical priciples. Mostly before he was 25.
light has a constant speed yet as far as i know it does not have any fuel or anything providing it energy to continue to move at such high speeds.( i may be completely wrong) is it possible that since the faster you move through space the slower you move through time so maybe light is traveling at the perfect speed that causes it to be paused in time. if it is paused in time then it would use the same bit of energy it has forever since it is paused and never needs any more. like a car using the same explosion of gas in the piston forever.
Constant velocity time dilation was predicted by Einstein in his Special Theory of Relativity (1905), which sets a universal speed limit of 'c' - the speed of light - and requires all observers moving with a constant velocities, or stationary, to agree on the laws of physics (inertial frames of reference). The relationship in time between two observers, one moving at a constant velocity 'v' and the other stationary (both with identical and regular clocks)
After British solar eclipse expeditions in 1919 reported confirmation that light rays from distant stars were deflected by the gravity of the Sun in the amount he had predicted in his theory of relativity, Einstein became world-famous, an unusual achievement for a scientist. The London Times ran the headline on 7 November 1919: "Revolution in science - New theory of the Universe - Newtonian ideas overthrown". In popular culture, his name has become synonymous with great intelligence and genius.
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Gerçek efsane â True legend, Su Qi-Er HanedanlıÄı döneminde Qing adam zengin. komplo takiben, o para kaybeder bütün. sokaklarda bir kez, o sanat savaÅ baÅladı ile. O dilenciler kralı olarak ülke çapında olur bilinir.
What is not publicly taught is that it was Newton who actually predicted that light would bend in such a situation, and yes as Citizen 1, or Wikipedia, points out, that predicted amount was smaller than Einsteinâs. ..
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What is not publicly taught is that it was Newton who actually predicted that light would bend in such a situation, and yes as Citizen 1, or Wikipedia, points out, that predicted amount was smaller than Einsteinâs. ..5s red tags|
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The first programmable computer British was invented in Manchester university, This computer still works and is actually faster than the PC/laptop you are now using.1948 The first computer with a stored programme and memory- nicknamed 'baby'- was developed at Manchester University
The one that showed on BBC2 a few years ago? It featured David Tennant. I live in America, so I can't buy the DVD. It never came out in Region 1 format. So does any one know where I could watch it without downloading a torrent? I couldn't find it straight out on YouTube.
Another concern is a drawback to remind you that VPS hosting is still a grade below the power of a dedicated server. While you have a guaranteed allotment of system resources, you are still required to share hardware assets with other VPS users hosting on the physical server. For this reason, a virtual private server cannot achieve the stability and optimal performance of the dedicated variety.
Although lower levels of nitrogen are ideal for the distiller (itâs a straightforward formula, the less nitrogen, the higher the starch content), nitrogen is added to the soil, together with phosphate and potash. These are combined in a compound fertiliser, usually applied a couple of times, at sowing time and mid-way through the growth cycle. The farmer calculates the mineral levels in the soil, and how they need to be supplemented, with each element of the fertiliser performing a strategic role. Nitrogen promotes growth and the production of green pigments which are used for photosynthesis, while phosphate and potash benefit the roots.
The expression is defined as the series expansion differential of nuclear output rates with quantum symmetry numbers assigned along the progression to give topology to the solutions.
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light has a constant speed yet as far as i know it does not have any fuel or anything providing it energy to continue to move at such high speeds.( i may be completely wrong) is it possible that since the faster you move through space the slower you move through time so maybe light is traveling at the perfect speed that causes it to be paused in time. if it is paused in time then it would use the same bit of energy it has forever since it is paused and never needs any more. like a car using the same explosion of gas in the piston forever.
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This is very interesting...
The Reverend Guess runs the UCC's Communications office, and within that office is Ms. Leanza, the policy director for the office. She is also referred to as the "Managing Director" of the OC.
I like Einstein and Eddington and I always wonder if they could have assisted me? A part (C) of a whole (A) cannot really crush the whole (A) by gravity ... or? http://heiwaco.tripod.com/tower.htm .
I give Euro 10 000:- to anybody proving me wrong.
It's a resin, and is rather challenging to try and do yourself for the first time. I helped the guy that did the bar for our restaurant, and it is a slow process, and requires the environment to not have any moving air in it, as to not allow any dust or airborne partials fly into this as you pour it, cause once it is in there, it's in there. There is also a technique used (involving a spray bottle of water) you do to help eliminate the air bubbles.
It's a resin, and is rather challenging to try and do yourself for the first time. I helped the guy that did the bar for our restaurant, and it is a slow process, and requires the environment to not have any moving air in it, as to not allow any dust or airborne partials fly into this as you pour it, cause once it is in there, it's in there. There is also a technique used (involving a spray bottle of water) you do to help eliminate the air bubbles.
I'm still trying to figure out how the atom is no longer the smallest particle of matter
Seriously -Enstein was really on to something. Not a physicist but wonder if his theories touch on the existance of dark energy and matter...
Have fun with your path and make plenty of little branching destinations. I'm sure that what to put in them will come to you slowly, as you start to savor and understand unique characteristics that made you choose each place as a destination.
I recall reading something saying that Newton knew his theory of gravity needed a correction. Something, maybe from an Einstein biography, where he was impressed by how Newton himself was aware of this issue
The action returns to the Principe expedition,[4] prevented by bad weather until the very last moment, while Einstein briefly returns to his ex-wife and children. Bringing back two photographs from the eclipse to compare to photographs of the night sky in normal conditions, Eddington compares them in public with Lodge and Winifred in attendance and not only proves Einstein right but also finds this confirmation reaffirming his faith â as he states, "I can hear God, thinking". News of his vindication reaches Einstein, and crowds of press arrive at his door just as Elsa returns to him.[5] A year later, in the closing scene, Einstein visits Cambridge and meets Eddington, and closing credits remark on both scientists' later work, Einstein's celebrity and Eddington's obscurity.
Has any one heard of atmospheric tide? Neither had Einstein.
I find it amusing that he who is revered as the genius and creator of the Theory of Relativity forgot the Relativity of the other two celestial bodies relative in the 1919 experiment. In other words, we didnât need an eclipse to view what they supposedly saw or recorded. All they needed to see the same results was the appearance of the moon in the sky, the Sun had no bearing on the results what so ever. Donât believe e it? Try it.
Photograph Taurus with the moon opposite the earth, two weeks later using all the same camera settings etcâ¦.
Now photograph the Moon in Taurus and compare the surrounding stars, it will appear just as the 1919 experiment and the stars will appear to have move outward slightly due to the bulging of the earths atmospheric lens cause by the gravitational PULL of the moon, the same effect it has on the tidesâ¦..
What does this mean? Einstein was wrong, and everything built upon this fallacy, is also wrong.
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The great Unified Field Theory, it is so amusing to explore the depth of our imagination and ability to simplify. have your heard about the 3M theory? Stephen Hawking has mentioned it in his latest book, as the theory that might help us understand the beginning of the universe, and the development of everything that exists including us.
Great article which I can relate to my Physics 'A' level theory and subsequent reading on the subject