Submission + - How to explain relativity in few words?
dvdme writes: Recently I was asked to explain what was Einstein's theory of relativity in few and simply words to someone who doesn't knowledge in physics.
I'm not an expert myselft but I thought a little but about it and said that relativity explains how everything moves, in few words, the mechanics of the universe. Furthermore I also explain why it's called "theory of relativity", because it states the every movement is relative to the observer. I used the example of an observer inside a car vs. an observer outside a car.
I also explained how relativity describes gravity as a space-time bend by mass with the classical exemple of a heavy ball bending an elastic sheet, thus, "attracting" smaller balls.
I gave some examples of the consequences such as time dilation but in the end I got the impression that I didn't was very clear.
So, the question stood in my head, how to you explain what is the theory of relativity to someone without any physics background?
I'm not an expert myselft but I thought a little but about it and said that relativity explains how everything moves, in few words, the mechanics of the universe. Furthermore I also explain why it's called "theory of relativity", because it states the every movement is relative to the observer. I used the example of an observer inside a car vs. an observer outside a car.
I also explained how relativity describes gravity as a space-time bend by mass with the classical exemple of a heavy ball bending an elastic sheet, thus, "attracting" smaller balls.
I gave some examples of the consequences such as time dilation but in the end I got the impression that I didn't was very clear.
So, the question stood in my head, how to you explain what is the theory of relativity to someone without any physics background?
