String Theory For Dummies, 2nd Edition

Chapter 6

Revolutionizing Space and Time: Einstein’s Relativity

IN THIS CHAPTER

Looking for something that allows light waves to travel

Nailing down the relationships between space and time, and mass and energy

Grasping the forces behind gravity

Meeting one of string theory’s forerunners

Albert Einstein introduced his theory of relativity to explain the issues arising from the electromagnetic concepts introduced in Chapter 5. The theory has had far-reaching implications, altering our understanding of time and space. It provides a theoretical framework that tells us how gravity works, but it has left open certain questions that string theory hopes to answer.

In this book, we give you only a glimpse of relativity — the glimpse needed to understand string theory. For a more in-depth look at the fascinating concepts of Einstein’s theory of relativity, we suggest Einstein For Dummies by Carlos I. Calle, PhD (Wiley).

In this chapter, we explain how the ether model failed to match experimental results and how Einstein introduced special relativity to resolve the problem. We discuss Einstein’s ...