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General relativity

Albert Einstein

This page delivers no verdict; it presents claims and evidence with their sources. No theory in science is absolute. Method

For everyone

According to Einstein, gravity is not a force but the curving of spacetime by mass and energy. Bodies follow the most natural paths in this curved spacetime. The theory predicts the bending of light near massive bodies, black holes, gravitational waves and the clock differences that GPS satellites must correct for.

For specialists

The field equations G_μν + Λg_μν = (8πG/c⁴) T_μν relate the metric tensor to the energy–momentum tensor. The classic tests are Mercury's perihelion shift (43″/century), the 1.75″ deflection of light near the Sun and gravitational redshift (Pound–Rebka 1959). The precision of the 1919 eclipse observations was later questioned, but radio interferometry has confirmed the deflection at the 10⁻⁴ level. The theory has not been unified with quantum mechanics and contains singularities.

Claims

Evidence

Supporting

Observation

Measurements at Sobral and Príncipe during the 1919 solar eclipse were found consistent with the predicted deflection.[2]

Measurement

Very-long-baseline radio interferometry measured the deflection of quasar light near the Sun in agreement with prediction to 10⁻⁴ precision.[4]

Challenging

Methodological critique

The error bars of the 1919 data were large and the exclusion of some plates was controversial; it was argued that these data alone could not decide between theories.[3]

Connections

Parent

Physics

Sub-branches

Direct detection of gravitational waves

Builds on

Special relativity

Built upon by

The beginning of the universe and the Big BangThe first image of a black holeCold dark matter (the ΛCDM model)Direct detection of gravitational waves

Related

Newton's Principia

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Sources

  1. ArticleEinstein, A. (1916). Die Grundlage der allgemeinen Relativitätstheorie. Annalen der Physik 354(7), 769–822DOI 10.1002/andp.19163540702archive
  2. ArticleDyson, F. W.; Eddington, A. S.; Davidson, C. (1920). A determination of the deflection of light by the Sun's gravitational field, from observations made at the total eclipse of May 29, 1919. Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society A 220, 291–333DOI 10.1098/rsta.1920.0009archive
  3. ArticleEarman, J.; Glymour, C. (1980). Relativity and eclipses: the British eclipse expeditions of 1919 and their predecessors. Historical Studies in the Physical Sciences 11(1), 49–85
  4. ArticleLambert, S. B.; Le Poncin-Lafitte, C. (2011). Improved determination of γ by VLBI. Astronomy & Astrophysics 529, A70DOI 10.1051/0004-6361/201016370archive

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Cite this page

APA

Athena contributors. (2026). General relativity. Athena: The tree of human knowledge. Retrieved November 1, 2026, from https://latifkedi.github.io/athena/en/d/genel-gorelilik/

BibTeX
@misc{athena_genel_gorelilik,
  title        = {General relativity},
  author       = {{Athena contributors}},
  year         = {2026},
  howpublished = {\url{https://latifkedi.github.io/athena/en/d/genel-gorelilik/}},
  note         = {Athena: The tree of human knowledge. Accessed: 2026-11-01}
}

Added: September 27, 2026 · Last changed: September 28, 2026 · Page history

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