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2 - The Fathers of Gravity

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  02 March 2023

Luciano Rezzolla
Affiliation:
Goethe-Universität Frankfurt Am Main
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Summary

Two scientists more than anyone else have contributed in defining our understanding of gravity: Newton in 1679 and Einstein in 1915. The mathematical frameworks the two have developed and proposed, however, are very different. Newton’s gravity is the one we learn at school and is normally taught at university. It provides a very natural interpretation of what we experience - the apple falls from the tree because the Earth attracts it! Einstein’s gravity is studied only in the most advanced courses at the university and provides a very counterintuitive explanation, requiring the concepts of spacetime and curvature. This chapter will provide a first description of the Einstein equations and, although it will not enter into the mathematical aspects of the equations, it will explain the basic concepts behind them. Acquiring a first qualitative understanding of Einstein equations will be useful to comprehend better the concept of spacetime curvature discussed in Chapter 4.

Type
Chapter
Information
The Irresistible Attraction of Gravity
A Journey to Discover Black Holes
, pp. 13 - 24
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2023

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  • The Fathers of Gravity
  • Luciano Rezzolla, Goethe-Universität Frankfurt Am Main
  • Book: The Irresistible Attraction of Gravity
  • Online publication: 02 March 2023
  • Chapter DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/9781009198776.003
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  • The Fathers of Gravity
  • Luciano Rezzolla, Goethe-Universität Frankfurt Am Main
  • Book: The Irresistible Attraction of Gravity
  • Online publication: 02 March 2023
  • Chapter DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/9781009198776.003
Available formats
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Save book to Google Drive

To save content items to your account, please confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies. If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your account. Find out more about saving content to Google Drive.

  • The Fathers of Gravity
  • Luciano Rezzolla, Goethe-Universität Frankfurt Am Main
  • Book: The Irresistible Attraction of Gravity
  • Online publication: 02 March 2023
  • Chapter DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/9781009198776.003
Available formats
×