popular science

the happiest thought of Einstein’s life

It’s Friday.

And you just can help it — you’re genuine, capitalistically ecstatic. You are heading to your beer o’clock.

(Cheers, btw)

I’m standing in the office elevator while at the same time having true Einstein-like experience of, as he said in 1907, “the happiest thought in the world”.

Interestingly enough, Albert included an idea of literally killing an imaginary man in a free fall from the roof a house. But it’s in the name of the science, of course, so.

Anyways.

Imagine a person in an elevator. Just like me right now. If it somehow (mis)happens that elevator goes extra rogue on me and it starts accelerating downward along me and all my friend over here — a bag.

The thing is, me and my bag are now in the same elevator gravitational field and as we start to free fall heavily, I wouldn’t be able to detect the effect of gravity on my bag — it suddenly feels much lighter than before.

Wtf does that mean, damn you woman?

For me, falling freely from, the gravitational field does not exist.

In this elevator, as our neighborhood at the moment, gravity is equal to acceleration. It feels like, neither me or my bag, almost, have no weight.

Imagine that beauty.

Considering the opposite — If elevator with starts to accelerates up, everything inside of it will be much heavier. That is the exact same thing why Will E. Coyote becomes glued to his self-made rocket seat as he suddenly speeds up forward the Road Runner.

But gravity, as Albert realized back then, is kinda matter-blind — it affects all objects the same way. This is the Principle of Equivalence which led to brushed up version of Einstein’sTheory of General Relativity.
The happiest thought of his life.

Happy Friday, kiddos.

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Hell, it’s Friday. And you just can help it — you’re genuinely, capitalistically ecstatic. You are enjoying your beer o’clock. (cheers, btw) I’m standing in the office elevator while at the same time having genuine Einstein-like expirience of, as he said in 1907, “his happiest thought of life”. – Interestingly enough, um, Albert’s idea included literally killing an imaginary man in a free fall from a house roof. But it was in the name of the science, of course, so. What is his happiest thought? #TGIF? 🧠 (in case of a typo or two in the post, blame the government and buggy photo editors, pls) . . . . . #popscience #funfacts #brainfart #principleofequivalence #einstein #thehappiestthoughtoftheday #neuronenvogue

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