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So you’ve heard scientists are excited about gravity, but you have always known which way is up and down. So what’s the deal? We’ve rounded up some top scientists and a philosopher, ask away!
This event is also supported by the department of Physics, King's College London.
This event is also supported by the department of Physics, King's College London.
General Relativity - Einstein's beautiful theory of gravity
Malcolm Fairbairn
(Reader in Physics)
Einstein was obsessed with the simple idea that the laws of physics are the same for all observers in all frames of reference.By stubbornly demanding that physics bent to this central principle at any cost, he came up with what many people consider to be the most beautiful theory in Physics-General Relativity.Remarkably, this theory actually seems to be correct and describes many aspects of our Universe to terrific levels of accuracy. Malcolm Fairbairn will try to give the audience a feeling for the theory itself and how it predicts black holes and the recently discovered GRAVITATIONAL WAVES!
Examining spacetime
Eleanor Knox
(Lecturer in Philosophy)
At the heart of Einstein’s theory of gravity there is a startling claim: gravity is not a force but a reflection of the shape of spacetime itself. We’ll look at what this claim involves, what spacetime is according to Einstein’s theory, and whether his beautiful and elegant insight is likely to survive in theories of the future.
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