KathrynS

Three types of relativity puzzle scientists today: the special theory of relativity, the general theory of relativity, and Galilean relativity.

In Einstein's special theory of relativity, he says that the laws of nature, Newton's laws, are the same in all inertial frames. He also states that ether, the substance waves of light travel through, is nonexistent and that the speed of light is the same for everyone, regardless of their relative motion.

Einstein's other theory, general relativity, is a modification of Newton's law of gravity to agree with special relativity to explain how objects really exert forces on one another.

When most people hear the word "relativity," their thoughts jump to Einstein. However, Einstein wasn't the only one interested in this topic. An Italian physicist, Galileo, had his own ideas about relativity. He studied, Isaac Newton's laws and experimented with inertial frames. Galileo had ideas such as the fact that objects wouldn't move at a constant velocity but for short periods in time, due to the curvature and rotation of the earth. He also discovered that inertial frames were relative to each other when at constant velocities.

The whole idea of relativity may be confusing to some, but if it's broken down into separate theories, it can become easier to understand. Newton's laws influenced the thoughts of Einstein and Galileo, and helped them build their own ideas.

Wolfe, Joe. "Relativity." Einstein Light. University of South Wales. 20 Mar 2009 . This is a great site because it has many diagrams and videos to help you understand. It is especially helpful for visual learners like me. It tells you before you even click on a link how difficult it will be, with or without mathematics. Also, this site was created by the School of Physics at the University of New South Wales in Sydney Australia.

Dine, Michael. "Relativity." World Book Online Reference Center. 2004. World Book, Inc. http://www.worldbookonline.com/wb/Article?id=ar464240. Because this site is by NASA it is reliable and contains tons of information. There are paragraphs upon paragraphs explaining from general to specific, relativity and the different types. It talks of experiments and is written in an easy to understand way, by discussing examples and not simply defining things and calling them facts.