Local reference frame: Difference between revisions

Revision as of 02:51, 17 December 2009

Revision as of 21:22, 24 May 2013

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==Einstein and general relativity==

When constructing his [[general theory of relativity]], [[Albert Einstein|Einstein]] took the result that an accelerated body feels an apparent gravitational field ([[g-force|geeforce]]s), and inverted it:. anA freely falling object in a gravitational field, if it is ''not'' accelerated, will ''not'' be able to detect the existence of the field by making local measurements ("a falling man feels no gravity"). Einstein was then able to complete his general theory by arguing that the physics of curved spacetime must reduce over small regions to the physics of simple inertial mechanics (in this case [[special relativity]]) for small freefalling regions.

Einstein referred to this as "the happiest idea of my life".