The theory of relativity, the formulas of which were presented to the scientific community by A. Einstein at the beginning of the last century, has a long and fascinating history. On this path, scientists were able to overcome a lot of contradictions, solve many scientific problems, create new scientific branches. At the same time, the theory of relativity is not some kind of end product, it develops and improves along with the development of science itself.
Many scientists consider the first step, which ultimately led to the famous formulations of Einstein, the emergence of the well-known theory of N. Copernicus. Subsequently, relying on the conclusions of the Polish scientist, Galileo formulated his famous principle, without which the theory of relativity simply would not have taken place. In accordance with it, the frame of reference with respect to which the given object was moving was of paramount importance for determining the spatio-temporal characteristics of an object.
The most important stage that the theory of relativity has passed in its development is connected with the name of I. Newton. He, as you know, is the "father" of classical mechanics, however, it was this scientist who owned the idea that physical laws are not at all uniform for different reference frames. At the same time, Newton in his research proceeded from the fact that the time for all objects and phenomena is uniform, and the lengths of things do not change, no matter in which system they are placed. He was the first to introduce the concepts of absolute space and absolute time into scientific circulation.
The theory of relativity probably could not have appeared if it had not been for the study of the properties of the electromagnetic field, among which the works of D. Maxwell and H. Lorenz occupy a special place. It was here that the medium was first revealed, the spatio-temporal characteristics of which differed from those that formed the basis of Newton's classical mechanics. In particular, it was Lorentz who derived the hypothesis of the compression of bodies relative to the ether, that is, of the space that forms the basis of the electromagnetic field.
Einstein sharply opposed any notions of mythical ether. In his opinion, no absolute movement exists, and all reference systems are equal in rights. From this situation it followed that, on the one hand, physical laws do not depend on which of the two systems are interconnected, these changes occur, and on the other, that the only constant is the speed with which a light ray moves in a vacuum. These conclusions allowed not only to show the limitations of Newton's laws, but also to solve all the main problems that H. Lorentz posed in his works on electromagnetism.
In the future, the theory of relativity was developed not only in terms of the interaction of spatio-temporal characteristics, but also as an important element in the study of such properties of matter as mass and energy.
The main postulates of A. Einstein had a serious impact not only on physics and other natural sciences, but also on many other areas of knowledge. So, in the first half of the twentieth century, the theory of linguistic relativity, associated with the names of E. Sepir and B. Whorf, became extremely popular. In accordance with this concept, the language environment in which he lives has a great influence on the perception of the world by man.