General Relativity

Newtons Law + Weak Equivalence:

Lecture 3:
General Relativity I
Background and Principles

Law of Motion
F=ma
Law of Gravity
F=GMm/r2
Experiment:
acceleration is independent of material
m proportional to m
take m=m
Experiment

Galileo Leaning tower of Pisa

Etvos 1905 wood/platinum 1in 108
Dicke Aluminium/gold 1in 1011

Idea is old! 517AD John Philoponus of Alexandria

When 2 bodies differing greatly in
weight are dropped simultaneously the
difference in their time of fall is a very
small one

General Relativity
The Role of Equivalence:

Newtonian Gravity and Weak Equivalence

Not logically essential to one-another
Equivalence bolted on at the end
Einstein: Equivalence Central

Need stronger version of Equivalence

General Relativity
Inertial Forces:
Idea is familiar
Examples: car going round corner
ascending/descending lift
Particle at rest in inertial frame
Non-inertial frame with acceleration a
In non-inertial frame, particle has acceleration a
In order to extend validity of N2
Must say there is a fictitious force

Pseudo-force - Inertial force

General Relativity
Inertial Forces:
Accelerating rocket

General Relativity
Inertial Forces:
Centrifugal Acceleration/Centripetal Force

v
T

Stationary Frame
N2 in radial direction
F=ma
T=mv2/r
Rotating Frame
N2 in radial direction
F=ma
T-mv2/r=0

General Relativity
Inertial Forces:

Strong Equivalence:

Corriolis Force (non-examinable)

Forces all radial
fidont change angular momentum
fi mrv=constant

v
T

General Relativity

Change r:

r-> r-dr
v->v+dv
In rotating frame, looks like force

Gravity is an inertial force

Cant tell the difference between gravity

and acceleration by measurement
A frame of reference which is free falling
is locally inertial

m(r-dr)(v+dv)=const=mrv
v tr=r tv
fia=v tr/r=xtr
fiLooks like Lorentz force F=eBxv, eB=/m
fiMore of this later

General Relativity
Strong Equivalence:

General Relativity
Principles of General Relativity:

Gravity is an inertial force

Baffling:

gravity is an everyday experience

Is the surface of the earth accelerating out?
Tied to Netwonian picture:
space is a universal given upon which the business
of physics takes place

Special Relativity
+
Strong Equivalence

Relativity forces us to abandon this notion

Our grid of clocks and rulers not universal
=> just a map that allows us to navigate locally
=> used to maps with only local validity
=> spacetime curvature more late

Spacetime is part of physics Geometry is physics