Special relativity had already upended the traditional notion of space and time as being absolutely universal and independent, and that may have been part of why Einstein (and others) began to wonder if they might actually be "dynamical objects" themselves.
The essence of General Relativity is that matter and energy "bend" space, and that particles follow the straightest paths they can manage in that curved environment. (Imagine an ant walking on a balloon: a straight-line ruler would stick right off the surface, but the ant's path has to wrap around in circles.) I wish I could talk about this theory at length: it's one of the most beautiful ideas in the history of physics, and it works astoundingly well.
Of course, once you've started to question fundamental notions about space and time, even stranger ideas begin to come to mind...
Up to my research page.
Up to my professional page.
My personal site is also available.
Any questions or comments? Write to me: jensens@alma.edu
Copyright © 2004 by Steuard Jensen.