Einstein’s Theory of Relativity Actually Applies in your Daily Life? Here’s how!
Einstein's theory of relativity is one of the most popular scientific theories of the 20th century. It shook the world by changing how we see the world around us.
Albert Einstein, one of the world's most well-known scientists, formulated the theory of relativity in 1905. The most popular analogy for the theory, as stated by Einstein was, "Relativity is when you sit with a nice girl for two hours and you think it's only a minute. But when you sit on a hot stove for a minute, you think it's two hours."
According to Space, Einstein's theory of relativity states that laws of physics are equal for all stationary observers, and the speed of light in a vacuum was independent of the motion of all the observers. After 10 years, Einstein included acceleration in the theory, which states that massive objects cause distortion in space-time, which is felt as gravity.
Physics and theories seem really complicated when you look at it. But the truth is, physics is simple, and it actually exists in our everyday lives, specifically the Einstein's theory of relativity. Here are some simple applications of relativity you might not even be aware of.
Electromagnets
Is it possible to create a magnet with any kind of metal? Yes, it is. Turn a coil of wire and running an electric current through it will magnetically affect the object that is moving but won't have any effect on stationary objects. That is an electromagnet, and it is possible thanks to special relativity.
Old TVs
Old televisions have an instrument that is called a cathode ray tube (CRT). This device has electrons that are moving roughly the third speed of light. These electrons are directed to a correct angle on the screen using positively charged magnets so that viewers could see a perfect image.
GPS
A Global Positioning System or GPS unit could tell you that a gas station that is 0.8km away would be 8km off only after a day. Why is it so?
Researchers from Ohio State University explained that because an observer on the ground sees the satellites in motion relative to them, special relativity predicts that should see their clocks ticking more slowly, as reported by Interesting Engineering.