The theory of relativity, the formulas of which were presented to the scientific community by A. Einstein at the beginning of the last century, has a long and fascinating history. On this path, scientists were able to overcome a lot of contradictions, solve many scientific problems, and create new scientific branches. At the same time, the theory of relativity is not some kind of final product, it develops and improves along with the development of science itself.
Many scientists consider the first step that eventually led to the famous formulations of Einstein, the emergence of the notorious theory of N. Copernicus. Subsequently, relying precisely on the conclusions of the Polish scientist, Galileo formulated his famous principle, without which the theory of relativity simply would not have taken place. In accordance with it, the reference system, according torelation to which this object was moved.
The most important stage that the theory of relativity has passed in its development is associated with the name of I. Newton. As you know, he is the "father" of classical mechanics, but it was this scientist who owned the idea that physical laws are not at all the same for different frames of reference. At the same time, Newton in his research proceeded from the fact that time is the same for all objects and phenomena, and the lengths of things do not change, no matter what system they are placed in. He was the first to introduce into scientific circulation the concepts of absolute space and absolute time.
The theory of relativity, probably, could not have appeared if it were not for the study of the properties of the electromagnetic field, among which the works of D. Maxwell and H. Lorentz occupy a special place. It was here that a medium was first revealed, the spatio-temporal characteristics of which differed from those that formed the basis of Newton's classical mechanics. In particular, it was Lorentz who came up with the hypothesis about the compression of bodies relative to the ether, that is, the space that forms the basis of the electromagnetic field.
Einstein strongly opposed any idea of a mythical aether. In his opinion, there is no absolute motion, and all frames of reference are equal to each other. From this position it followed that, on the one hand, physical laws do not depend on which of the two interconnected systems thesechanges occur, and on the other hand, that the only constant is the speed with which a ray of light moves in a vacuum. These conclusions made it possible not only to show the limitations of Newton's laws, but also to solve all the main problems that H. Lorentz posed in his works on electromagnetism.
In the future, the theory of relativity was developed not only in terms of the interaction of space-time characteristics, but also as the most important element in the study of such properties of matter as mass and energy.
The basic postulates of A. Einstein had a serious impact not only on physics and other natural sciences, but also on many other areas of knowledge. Thus, in the first half of the twentieth century, the theory of linguistic relativity associated with the names of E. Sapir and B. Whorf gained extreme popularity. In accordance with this concept, a person's perception of the world is greatly influenced by the language environment in which he lives.
