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The Theory of Relativity and the Influence of Black Holes in the Universe ======

The theory of relativity is very complex and difficult to understand. The logical thinking made by Einstein created a controversy between many experts and lead to many research that try to figure out how does the theory apply to the universe. Experiments such as the bending of starlight by gravity and a tiny shift in the orbit of the planet Mercury have been conformed by experiments. Most of the research are done out on space, the formation of black holes and how does it affect the movement of the planets and stars from a galaxy (by the effect of gravity in the universe) is impossible ever to completely confirm, however is most studied one. Scientists have discovered that when a collision occur between neutron stars (the smallest and densest stars known; have a greater mass than the sun) and black holes a tremendous distortions is created, that are resulted in gravitational waves, and therefore provoke the shrinking of the orbit. These waves are being studied more closely by scientists, whose goal is to observe the distortions cause directly (since the distortions caused by the gravitational waves are obtained by calculations from the general theory of relativity). The General Theory of Relativity was the second theory created by Einstein, with the purpose of modifying Newton's first law of gravitation, and thus making it agree with his first theory The Special Theory of Relativity. Newton's fist law states that "...a planet's motion depends on the position of the sun and the other planets. All these objects influence one another by means of gravitational force." This theory also says that the gravitational forces between two objects is transmitted instantaneously no matter how far apart the objects are, however the special theory of relativity denies the fact that there is an action at a distance. (Michael Dine) To proof his theory and thus eliminate the "action at a distance" Einstein made observations which he called the Principle of equivalence, which states that "...an object's gravitational mass equals its inertial mass."(Dine) The Theory of General relativity was applied also to the idea of big bang; this idea says that the earth was once a hypothermic dense mass that along the years expanded with the galaxy. This expansion is due to the gravity encountered in the earth’s crust, according to the big bang theory "...the universe may keep expanding forever, if its inward gravity is not sufficiently strong to counterbalance the outward motion of galaxies, or it may reach a maximum point of expansion and then start collapsing, growing denser and denser, gradually disrupting galaxies, stars, planets, people, and eventually even individual atoms." However the whirling of giant black holes is affecting the growth of the galaxy by restricting it. This is happening because of the huge amount of energy that is being pumped into the black hole. And according to Einstein's theory, a rapidly spinning black hole makes space itself rotate, due to the great amount of gravity it has where "...no matter, light, or communication of any kind can escape." (Alan Lightman) A new study using results from NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory provides one of the best pieces of evidence yet that many super massive black holes are spinning extremely rapidly. The whirling of these giant black holes drives powerful jets that pump huge amounts of energy into their environment and affects galaxy growth. A sampling of nine giant galaxies that exhibit large disturbances in hot gas around them showed that the central black holes in these galaxies must be spinning at near their maximum rates. "Conditions around a stationary black hole are extreme, but around a rapidly spinning one would be even worse", said Nemmen. (NASA) One significant consequence of powerful, black hole jets in galaxies in the centers of galaxy clusters is that they can pump enormous amounts of energy into their environments, and heat the gas around them. This heating prevents the gas from cooling, and affects the rate at which new stars form, thereby limiting the size of the central galaxy. (NASA) An observatory known as the Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave Observatory (LIGO) was constructed, the observatory has three facilities -- two in Hanford, Washington, and one in Livingston, Louisiana. Each one is designated to detect gravitational waves by sensing their effect on two metal tubes that are 2 1/2 miles (4 kilometers) long. When a gravitational wave passes through them, it changes their lengths by an amount much smaller than an atomic nucleus.(Dine) The discovery of The Theory of Relativity made by Albert Einstein changed the way physics was viewed. It clarified how gravity affected the galaxy and provided the answers to many questions like "why do two people have a different perspective when observing things from different places?" There are still many fields to be studied and questions to be answered. Scientists are still studying the effects caused by general relativity in space, for example the effects that the infinite gravity of black holes has upon the galaxy growth. However, the mystery upon us is how can black holes slow down the speed of light and why do gravitational waves cause a significant distortion when a neutron star collides with a black hole. The study of physics still has a long path of discoveries ahead. However, thanks to Albert Einstein, the information experts obtain now will certainly help in answering these questions in the future.

Annoteted Work Cited Dine, Michael. "NASA - Relativity." __NASA - Home__. 29 Nov. 2007. 8 Feb. 2009 .

The web site is very descriptive about the theory of relativity given the reader a better understanding of the topic. There are many examples avaible describing how general relativity occurs. It is a very good source for who is learning relativity. The site is reliable because it is owned by NASA and the articles are written by the experts in the area.

Lightman, Alan. "NOVA | Einstein's Big Idea | Relativity (Lightman Essay) | PBS." __PBS__. 5 Feb. 2009 . This web site gives a brief story of when and how the theory of relativity was created by Eistein. It shows how the theory occurs and how it is applied to the theory of Big Bang and the formation of Black Holes. It is a reliable site because the articles are written by professionals of the area and the web site is dedicated to the science field.

"NASA - Chandra Data Reveal Rapidly Whirling Black Holes." __NASA - Home__. 10 Jan. 2008. 8 Feb. 2009 .

The web site states recent studies on black holes involving the theory of relattivity. The research was made by a group of scientists from NASA.The site is reliable because it is owned by an important organization and was based on research done by experts in the area.