An Infinite Monkey's Guide to General Relativity

Discovery

BBC

Science, Technology

4.3 • 1.2K Ratings

🗓️ 1 February 2016

⏱️ 27 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Brian Cox and Robin Ince explore the legacy of Einstein's great theory, and how a mathematical equation written 100 years ago seems to have predicted so accurately exactly how our universe works. From black holes to the expanding universe, every observation of the universe, so far, has been held up by the maths in Einstein's extraordinary work. So how was he able to predict the events and behaviour of our universe, long before the technology existed to prove he was right, and will there ever be another theory that will supersede it? Brian and Robin head up the iconic Lovell telescope at Jodrell Bank to explore Einstein's theory in action, and talk to scientists who are still probing the mysteries hidden within General Relativity.

Transcript

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0:00.0	Thank you for downloading from the BBC.
0:03.0	The details of our complete range of podcasts and our terms of use go to BBCworldservice.com
0:09.0	slash podcasts.
0:24.9	Hello I'm Robin Ints and I'm broadcasts. something different. We're presenting a documentary about one of the most wonderful ideas to come out of a human mind. So like all documentaries, we are going to take you on a journey.
0:31.0	Though in this case it's quite a short journey falling down a lift shaft.
0:34.1	Or more correctly, according to Einstein's theory of general relativity, a journey floating in an
0:38.5	an inertial frame of reference waiting for the bottom of the lift shaft to hit us. Are you being served?
0:44.0	Round four for fuberies, stationary and leather groups,
0:48.0	lace and hapendashery.
0:50.0	Kitchenware and food.
0:51.0	They are...
0:52.0	Are you being served is and was always meant to be I think a tutorial on general relativity?
1:00.0	Good. So 10 years ago we celebrated the centenary of special relativity, which is E equals
1:06.1	M. squared, the most famous equation to exist in the history of human civilization.
1:12.6	Which gives me some hope actually for popular culture
1:15.2	because the fact that there is Amos Famous Equation
1:18.0	means that we're not floating in an all enveloping darkness of trivia.
1:24.0	See that's the problem though, it's very easy.
1:26.0	When you get one of those shows the countdown of the top ten equations, we always know
1:29.4	E. Quas M. squared is going to be number one, but no one knows the position of any of the other equations.
1:34.7	F equals M8. Oh that probably would be number two wouldn't it? Anyway so
1:38.8	he equals M. C squared Brian what does that mean? Well it really means that energy and mass are interchangeable but it comes from special
	...

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