Proving Einstein Right
Sir Isaac Newton and Clerk Maxwell were both involved in testing and proving Einstein's theory right.
Pages from Albert Einstein's original manuscript
in which he defines his theory of relativity
in which he defines his theory of relativity
Clerk Maxwell formulation of electromagnetic theory paved the way for the Special Theory of relativity. Newton's Law of Motion was altered by Einsteins Special relativity. What Maxwell expressed in his equation was the same for Special relativity that it must look the same for all observers particularly the speed of light. Also, Sir Isaac Newton's Law of Motion were dependent on time and two observers will always agree as to when a given amount of time has passed in reference to physical events. Alexander Friedman found an error in Einsteins solution and worked his own correct solution to the general relativity equation. Friedman also showed it was impossible using theory alone to tell which description corresponded to the real universe.
"The chief attraction of the theory lies in its logical completeness," wrote Albert Einstein after publishing his general theory of relativity in 1915. "If a single one of the conclusions drawn from it proves to be wrong, it must be given up; to modify it without destroying the whole structure seems to be impossible."
Scientists have been rising to the challenge ever since. Not that they have been motivated by a desire to destroy Einstein's remarkable intellectual achievement—which explains gravity and the large-scale behavior of the universe on the basis of relative motion.
- Time Magazine "Relativity: Proving Einstein Right. Friday, Apr. 22, 1966