Einstein’s Theory of Relativity Survived These 6 Great Tests

It is a tribute to Einstein’s genius. All of the theories calculated by Albert Einstein in the early 1900’s have been tested thoroughly and to date, his theories have passed every test. 
Einstein’s Theory of Relativity is considered today to be absolute genius but in his day there was considerable skepticism and doubt. This was partly because nobody could do the mathematics at the time, and the technology to test the theories was not available.
However today, the technology is available to perform tests of Einstein’s theories and the following are the 6 Great Tests that Einstein’s theories have passed.  The following 6 tests of Einstein’s Theory is courtesy of Discover Magazine.

1. The Precession of Planet Mercury

It was long observed that Isaac Newton’s Laws of gravity didn’t quite work when it came to predicting the orbit of Mercury around the Sun.  For many years the scientific community thought that the reason for the “precession” of Mercury was caused by an unknown planet yet to be discovered. Although they never found the planet, they gave it the name “Vulcan”. Then came Einstein in 1915 who calculated that space and time are actually warped by enormous objects with massive gravity.  Einstein’s calculations predicted the precession of Mercury’s orbit EXACTLY.

1. Warping of Space and Time by Massive Objects Will Also Bend and Distort Light from Distant Objects

Einstein calculated that massive objects have sufficient gravity that they warp space and time which would also bend and distort light from distant objects.  If this were true, distant objects would be appear to be duplicated to the observer.  This theory has been proven time and time again to be correct by the Hubble Space telescope. Hubble images are so clear and precise that light from distant galaxies are visibly duplicated, exactly as Einstein’s calculations predicted.
Today, this phenomenon is known by astronomers as “gravitational lensing”, where the light from distant galaxies is bent and distorted by closer massive objects duplicating their image. It has been used to calculate the existence and mass of Dark Matter.

1. Gravitational Red-shifting of Light and Time

Einstein calculated that the warping of space and time caused by massive objects will also distort light from distant objects.  Light moving away from the observer would be shifted toward the Red Wavelengths of Light Spectrum whereas objects moving toward the observer would be shifted toward the Blue Light Spectrum. Sure enough a test of Einstein’s theory came in 1959 when a Harvard Professor set up an experiment to prove this. Using radioactive iron in an elevator shaft they determined the minute difference in gamma rays received by a detector at the top of the shaft caused the light to be shifted toward red light spectrum, exactly as Einstein’s calculations predicted.
Warping (slowing) of time was also calculated by Einstein.  He predicted that time is slowed as an observer gets closer to a massive objects.  This was proven by very precise clocks placed in satellites in orbit around the Earth.  If Einstein was correct, clocks in orbit would be farther away from clocks on Earth so the orbital clocks should be faster.  After numerous checks, NASA found that clocks in satellites ran faster (by 1/1 millionth of a second) than similar ones on the ground, again confirming Einstein’s calculations.
4) Warping of Space Would Distort Radio Waves in Vicinity of Immense Objects
If massive objects distort space, then radio waves sent from objects in the vicinity of massive objects would be distorted by warped space.  In essence, they would take longer to travel to a given observer than an object that is not in the vicinity of a massive object.
This was proven using the Cassini satellite en route to Saturn. Radio waves from the Cassini Satellite were delayed due to it's presence near the massive Saturn.  Again this distortion of radio waves was exactly as Einstein calculated.
5) Equivalence Principle
Einstein’s Theory of General Relativity states that all bodies fall through a gravitational field at the same rate regardless of their mass or structure. Therefore all objects fall at the same rate on Earth as they would on the moon, on Jupiter etc.
This was proven to be correct by Apollo 15 Astronaut, Dave Scott on the moon when he dropped a hammer and a feather and they fell at the same rate, striking the lunar surface at the same time, again exactly as Einstein predicted.
6) Space and Time Are Warped and Dragged by Massive Objects
Einstein calculated that massive objects warp space so scientists determined an experiment using gyroscopes placed in satellites aligned to a certain reference star and they looked for changes in the alignment of these gyroscopes to measure how far off alignment would be caused by the massive Earth.  Again they detected tiny misalignments, that could only be caused by the warping of space by the Earth, again exactly as Einstein predicted.
 Therefore, General Relativity has stood up to all these Great Tests over the past 100 years and only now the scientific community has come to appreciate the true genius of Albert Einstein.  He was truly a genius way ahead of his time.


Al Maddalena
Maddalena Environmental Inc.