The principle of equivalence is a vital component of Einstein’s theory of general relativity. This principle states that inertial mass (resistance of an object to acceleration) and gravitational mass (gravitational attraction of an object to others) are the same. He illustrated this with a thought experiment involving an elevator: if he were to cut its cable and cause it to fall freely, the passengers inside would feel weightlessness as if gravity didn’t exist, because their inertial mass from falling would be identical to the gravitational mass they experience. Read full article here
Oddities
The Curious Case of the Ancient Brain
In 2008, archaeologists examining the University of York discovered something strange: the decapitated head of an Iron Age man and his very shrivelled but very much intact brain. How a centuries-old brain was preserved is still unknown, but research suggests that it could have been because of brain diseases like dementia. The Yorkshire man’s brain’s proteins were bunched up together, much like how dementia causes brain proteins to bunch up into plaques. This bunching up, or aggregation, could continue even after death, turning regions of the brain into hard masses. Read full article here
Merv
September 30, 2022
