OSHER 453 - Einstein's Theories of Relativity

In 1905, Albert Einstein upended commonly held notions about space and time in his Special Theory of Relativity. Ten years later, he changed our understanding of gravity with his General Theory of Relativity. We will begin our journey with a summary of physics before Einstein, including the principal of relativity articulated by Galileo. We will then explore how Einstein's two postulates lead to bizarre consequences, such as time dilation and length contraction. We will conclude with his General Theory of Relativity, including its prediction of Black Holes.