Albert Einstein formulated the theory of relativity in the early 19th century and first presented it to the public in 1905. With the help of it, it was possible to explain the behavior of objects in space and time. She helped to substantiate the existence of black holes and the movement of planets in orbits. It also became the basis of reasoning about the relativity of time. Those who are in orbit, for example, perceive its course in slow motion. However, it is important to understand that the theory of relativity manifests itself not only in space. It is quite relevant in everyday life as well.
💡 Interestingthat Einstein’s life’s work seems primitive to many. Such an opinion is erroneous. The complexity of understanding the theory of relativity is based on the absence of an absolute frame of reference for the dynamics of movement of a certain object. And this is especially true for measuring the speed of light.
Electromagnets, the movement of current through wires
Magnetism is especially well manifested when using a generator. It creates electricity when a loop of wire is placed in a magnetic field. Charged particles on it are amenable to the appropriate influence, begin to move and create a current. If we assume that the wire is at rest, and the movement is associated only with a magnet, then the charged particles no longer move, so they should not be affected by the magnetic field. But in practice, this is not the case, which emphasizes the absence of a privileged frame of reference. This is the meaning of the theory of relativity.
Thomas Moore, professor of physics at Pomona College in Claremont, USA, uses the principle of relativity to demonstrate Faraday’s law, which states that a changing magnetic field creates an electric current.
Since this is the basic principle of transformers and electrical generators, anyone who uses electricity is subject to the effect of relativity.
Physicists from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign drew attention to another interesting fact, which is also associated with Einstein’s theory of relativity. When a direct current passes through the cable, it must be electrically neutral, because inside it there is an equal number of negatively charged electrons and positive protons. However, when there is another one nearby, the cables either attract or repel, depending on the movement of the current.
If we assume that the currents move in the same direction with conditionally the same speed, the electrons in the second cable are motionless in comparison with the same particles in the first one. But relative to electrons, protons are in continuous motion. Because of the relativistic (so-called effects that are based on close to light speed) shortening of length, they are supposed to be closer together, so there is more positive charge in the cable than negative – this is why the cables repel. Well, and vice versa, if you turn one of them in the opposite direction.
GPS navigation in cars and smartphones
PhysicsCentral says that for the most accurate positioning via GPS navigation, equipment on satellites must also take into account relativistic effects. Despite the fact that the movement of these artificial celestial bodies is far in speed from light, they are still too fast. At the same time, they send signals to ground stations (as well as to car and smartphone navigators), which are affected by gravity, which is absent in space.
To maximize positioning accuracy, satellites use clocks with time correction down to a few nanoseconds (billionths of a second). Since the satellites are over 20,000 kilometers above the Earth’s surface and moving at about 10,000 kilometers per hour, a relativistic time dilation of about 4 microseconds (millionths of a second) takes place every day. And if we also take into account the gravitational effects, the deviation in time can reach up to 7 microseconds per day.
💡 It is important to understandif GPS devices did not take into account the deviations associated with Einstein’s theory of relativity, the navigator in the car would show that the nearest gas station at a distance of 8 kilometers would, conditionally, be no less than 24 hours away.
Yellow, orange and red shades of gold
Most metals have a shiny hue only because the electrons in atoms are constantly jumping from different energy levels called orbitals. Some photons of light are, of course, absorbed, but most are reflected, forming the familiar brilliance. The same applies to gold, which is considered a heavy element. Therefore, the electrons inside it move fast enough to talk about the action of relativistic effects. At least, this is what experts at Heidelberg University in Germany think.
The electrons inside the gold revolve around the nucleus in shorter paths and with more momentum. Negatively charged particles in inner orbitals carry energy that is closer to outer electrons, and the waves that are absorbed and reflected are longer. Because of this, the blue and purple hues are leveled. Considering that white is a mixture of all the colors of the rainbow, yellow, orange and red remain. Actually, that is why the BBC believes that gold is visually perceived as such.
Gold is not susceptible to corrosion
In 1998, the Gold Bulletin published an article explaining how the relativistic effect on gold’s electrons is related to its resistance to corrosion. There is only one electron in the outer shell of the gold structure, but it is still not as reactive as calcium or lithium. The electrons of gold move close to the speed of light, increasing their mass, and are kept closer to the nucleus of the atom. Therefore, they are protected from interaction with the outside world, which eliminates the occurrence of corrosion.
Mercury has a low melting point
Chemistry World experts claim that mercury is in a liquid state under normal conditions due to the same relativistic effects. The electrons in this case are also located close to the nucleus due to the extremely high speed and systematic increase in mass. This contributes to the weakening of bonds between atoms, which leads to an extremely low melting point.
The principle of operation of televisions with a kinescope
According to the PBS News Hour, the production of old televisions, which were tentatively produced before the 2000s, also used the principles of Einstein’s theory of relativity. Each electron in their ray tube traveled at up to 30% of the speed of light and created an illuminated pixel as it hit the back of the screen. Therefore, when designing this element, manufacturers had to take into account the notorious relativistic effects.
Propagation of light in space
Isaac Newton assumed that there is absolute rest, which can be considered an ideal frame of reference. But in practice this is not the case. In this case, all elements in space would have to be motionless, which contradicts the principles of Einstein’s theory of relativity and puts an end to the possibilities of light propagation. This is confirmed by Thomas Moore.
Not only will there be no magnetism, but there will also be no light, because the theory of relativity requires that changes in the electromagnetic field occur at a finite rate, not instantaneously. If the theory of relativity did not provide for this requirement, changes in electric fields would be produced instantly, and not through electromagnetic waves. Then magnetism and light would be “overboard”.
Light from the Sun and other stars
According to the Ohio State University, without Einstein’s theory of relativity, the Sun and other stars would simply not shine. The fact is that at their center, high temperature and pressure are constantly compressing four individual hydrogen atoms into one helium atom. The mass of one helium atom is slightly less than the mass of four hydrogen atoms. The extra mass is converted directly into energy, which manifests itself as light. This also emphasizes the significance of the mass-energy equivalence equation E = mc2which is a physical explanation of the theory of relativity.
💡 What does E=mc mean2? The total energy of a physical object at rest is equal to its mass multiplied by the dimensional factor of the square of the speed of light in vacuum (Wikipedia).
Source: Live Science.
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