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Probably
the most important contribution to 20th century science has been
Einstein's
special and general theories of relativity. Both of these theories
contain revolutionary ideas about the nature of space and time,
and they have mind-blowing and sometimes paradoxical implications.
The special theory, which Einstein came up with in 1905, is based
on two principles: the principle of relativity - that physical laws
are the same in all 'inertial reference systems' (i.e. whatever
your point of view and whether you're moving or stationary ) and
that the speed of light in a vacuum is a universal constant. In
1916 Einstein proposed his general theory of relativity, where he
explained the relation between gravity and the geometry of spacetime.
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