Albert Einstein is such an iconic figure that most people, and more than a few dogs, can instantly recognize him as a famous scientist. Very few of those people could explain why he is famous, though. Despite its fearsome reputation, the core idea of Einstein’s theory of relativity could fit on a bumper sticker: The Laws of Physics Do Not Depend on How You’re Moving.
Providing some context, author Chad Orzel—whose several popular-science books include How to Teach Quantum Physics to Your Dog—describes how this simple idea forces us to re-think the nature of space and time, through scenarios that cats and dogs might find familiar. He reveals a canine prank that demonstrates that nothing can move faster than the speed of light, and how a ride in an elevator proves that gravity can bend light. And of course, he talks about the world’s most famous equation, and why we (and our dogs) shouldn’t be surprised that E=mc2.
Orzel is an associate professor of physics at Union College in in Schenectady, New York.
