Tuesday, January 22, 2008

Einstein, Newton, Gravity, and Light

Here is a nice little summary of the revolution that Einstein brought to the way we look at light and gravity compared to the way Newton laid it all out. However, before we dismiss Sir Isaac too lightly due to Al bested him, it is good to remind ourselves that Newton ruled physics for over 200 years, and Einstein had his shoulders on which to stand.

This is the sort of thing that should always spring to mind any time someone criticizes a bit of science with the argument that it violates common sense. Practically all science that deals with the very large (stars), the very small (quantum mechanics), the very fast (light), and the very slow (evolution) is going to violate our common sense, because our common sense evolved in an environment where such things either didn't occur or were beyond our perceptive limits. It would be suspicious if it didn't violate common sense.

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