| general relativity n. The geometric theory of gravitation developed by Albert Einstein, incorporating and extending the theory of special relativity to accelerated frames of reference and introducing the principle that gravitational and inertial forces are equivalent. |
General Relativity (j n  r-l) A geometrical theory of gravity developed by Albert Einstein in which gravity's effects are a consequence of the curvature of four-dimensional space-time. According to this theory, the energy and momentum of all matter and radiation cause curvature in space-time, in a way similar to the creation of electric and magnetic fields by electric charges and currents. This curvature also opens the possibility that the universe is closed, having finite volume but without any boundary. Among the many experimentally confirmed consequences of General Relativity are the perihelion precession of the planet Mercury, the bending of light in a gravitational field, and the slowing of time in a gravitational field. See also closed universeequivalence principleSpecial Relativity |
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| Noun | 1. | general relativity - a generalization of special relativity to include gravity (based on the principle of equivalence) Einstein's theory of relativity, relativity, relativity theory, theory of relativity - (physics) the theory that space and time are relative concepts rather than absolute concepts |
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