million miles per hour.Then the scientists began to measure the speed of light from a distant star.The Earth rotates around the sun with a speed of 18 miles per second. This means that there is a time in the year - one full rotation of the earth around the sun - when the earth is moving away from the star with 18 miles per second and another time when the earth is moving towards the star with 18 miles per second. The first problem was the inaccuracy of their instruments. It is very difficult to detect a variation of 18 m.p.s when one is working with thousands of m.p.s. Finally they succeeded, but the results were always the same. The Speed of light never varied. If light would behave as according to the laws of nature as set up by Newton, then the speed must be dependant on our speed relative to that star. This is very important to note, because this is the starting point of Einsteins genial thoughts.The basis of his theory of relativity is an absolute. The speed of light never changes.No one had dared to assume such an absolute idea before him. To every earnest scientist this assumption was plainly in error. Newton had proven that speeds are dependant on the movement of the observer.Einstein claims that the speed of light is an exception. The speed of light is always the same whatever the current movement of the observer.To return to the example with the train. This means if you stand on the ground and switch on the flashlight, the speed of the light from that flashlight will be 186.000 m.p.s. If you see a train coming by and switching on its headlamps, the speed of that light will be 186.000 m.p.s from your position. It does not matter what the speed of the train is, the speed of light from its headlights will always be 186.000 m.p.sEinsteins theory of Relativity is based on the absolute unchanging speed of light!From this starting point Einstein developed a new understanding of reality. All of reality is relative to the absolute whi...
