• Question: explain einsteins theory relativity?

    Asked by themonstermunchers007 to Amy, Karen, Sarah, Vijay, Will on 19 Jun 2012.
    • Photo: Will Reynolds

      Will Reynolds answered on 19 Jun 2012:

      Hi monstermuchers. Im no expert in this and dont fully understand it myself, but these animations do a good job of simplifying it:

      http://www.fearofphysics.com/Relativity/relativity.html

    • Photo: Sarah Martin

      Sarah Martin answered on 19 Jun 2012:

      Hi themonstermunchers007!

      Yes! It’s not actually that hard. The starting point is that light always travels at the speed of 300 million miles per second. Even when it’s on a train travelling at 100 miles per hour (say a torch is flashed from the back of the train towards the front), then the speed of light it still only 300 million miles per second, and the speed of the train isn’t added!

      That has consequences, which are described in this video of a train travelling at almost the speed of light (240 million mph) and where two torches are flashed – one from the middle back, and one from the middle forward. The result is that space is compressed on the train and time is slowed down!
      Check it out!

      🙂 Sarah

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