The Theory of Relativity Explained

The theory of relativity is one of the most important ideas in physics and was developed by Albert Einstein in the early 20th century. It's actually made up of two parts: special relativity and general relativity. Let's break each part down step by step.

1. Special Relativity

Special relativity was introduced by Einstein in 1905. It focuses on how time and space work when objects are moving at very high speeds, close to the speed of light. Here are the main ideas:

• Constant Speed of Light: One of the biggest ideas is that the speed of light is always the same, no matter how fast you're moving. If you turn on a flashlight when you're running, the light from the flashlight still travels at the same speed.
• Time Dilation: If you travel really fast, time actually moves slower for you compared to someone who is standing still. This means that if you were to fly in a spaceship close to the speed of light for what felt like a year, many more years could pass on Earth! This is often called