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Reema Patel J. Collins CP Physics January 25, 2012 The Equation That Changed the World In this text, Harald Fritzch eloquently describes the various similarities and differences between Einstein s theory of Relativity and Newton s classic ideas of physics. Both of these physicists justified their views about absolute space, time, the twin paradox, speed of light and its particles, and gravity. These five postulations show the vast variety between Einstein and Newton s theories of natural physics. Sir Issac Newton had first hypothesized that space was absolute and, just like time, independent of any other movements or location in the environment and immovable. Newton based this phenomenon to later prove his first law of motion. The principle of inertia claims that every object in a state of uniform motion tends to remain in that state of motion unless an external force is applied to it. However, Einstein had a disparate idea. He believed that, rather than being a flat and immobile, space had a curvature. Space had to bend and flex near magnum bodies. The warping of space guided the planets to move along their orbits in the fashion they do today. In addition, Newton and Einstein also disputed over the idea of time. Newton believed that time was uniform to any person and it was infinite. For instance, he said that time is absolute. His theory for this was that if a pulse of light is sent from one place to another, different observers would agree on the time it took for the light to get

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from one place to the next. But the distance travel between the two places would be arguable to observers. In Einstein's theory, since the two observers did not agree on the distance the light has traveled, they must disagree on the time it took for the light to go between the two places. For example, if light were to transmit from Earth to Mars, and if the clocks on each planet were synchronized, then the time light left from Earth would be different from the time light was received on Mars. The time taken to travel is the distance the light traveled divided by the speed of light. Einstein put an end to the idea that time is absolute, and he stated that time was relative. The Twin Paradox can be summarized as a theory in which two twin brothers are on Earth, and one goes to traveling throughout outer space while the other twin stays on Earth. Newton had Einstein both agreed that the twin on Earth would always age quicker since the clock on Earth is faster than the one in outer space. However, Newton argued that it would not matter if spacecraft were moving at constant acceleration or deceleration. Einstein suggested that constant acceleration would be useful for the traveler so he would not have to deal with weightlessness. On the other hand, Newton and Einstein agreed that this time travel experiment would be impossible for their scientific era. Furthermore, Newton proposed that light is radiated in a projectile motion, thus forming a parabola. However, since the speed of light is so great, the light appears to form a straight line. Also, Newton observed that lights consisted of many different color particles, and that light was not monochromatic. This light will keep moving quickly until matter, or another force, interferes. Einstein concluded Einstein realized

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that the speed of light is always constant. This consistency remains whether the light comes from a moving source or a stationary source. However, it is only constant in a vacuum; therefore, the speed of light is only constant when matter does not interfere with it. On Earth, the speed of light is not constant. The two physicists agreed on the fact that the speed of light was an electromagnetic radiation that possesses both properties of waves and properties of typical photons and that speed of light would not be constant if a something interrupted its waves. Lastly, Newton and Einstein had differing views about gravity and its force on Earth. Newton first stated that gravity could only affect someone or something that has a definite mass. In his second law of motion, he explained that force is the product of acceleration and mass. Newton reckoned that planets are held in their orbits around the sun by a force due to the mass of the sun and the planets. However, Albert Einstein concluded that if a person feels weight, then the force that the person feels and the environment in which he or she resides are experiencing the same forces. Einstein does not believe that only objects with mass have forces pushing or pulling upon them. He also inferred that all objects tend to point towards the locus of the object with the greater mass. In essence, The Equation That Changed the World is a wonderful analysis of Sir Isaac Newton and Albert Einstein s theories of absolute space, time, twin paradox, speed of light and its particles, and gravity. Although both were unerring towards each other s theories and hypothesis, they managed to develop a foundation for modern day

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physics. Physics is very significant to our lives because everything we do in life involves physics.