Are We There Yet?

Is a baby big? Yeah huge – Relative to the circumference of a red blood cell.

Are Isaac Newton’s laws of motion old? Not really – Relative to the age of the Earth.

Space and time are funny because everything is relative.  The theory of special relativity is very famous and is most notably recognized by the equation E=MC².   (For a brief discussion of scientific theories see a previous post found here.  The discussion on theory starts at the 5^th paragraph but if you haven’t read the review yet just start from the top.) Soon after special relativity Einstein recognized that special relativity wasn’t completely compatible with other observations and principles so within 10 years of special relativity he described general relativity in which he proposed the curvature of spacetime.

Awesome.  Right? I’ve seen countless NOVA episodes (an great PBS science show that I highly recommend) and read numerous Scientific American volumes (a pretty cool magazine that I also highly recommend).  These episodes and articles depict relativity in all of its scientific and mathematical glory through images, experts and myriad implications from our everyday lives to the grand mechanics of the cosmos.  I can’t get enough but I also just can’t seem to get it. 

Is general relativity easy to understand? Sure – Relative to special relativity. (I had to smirk when I read that comparison on the Theory of Relativity Wikipedia Page)

I went to school to learn science and I to prepare to teach science.  I feel very fortunate to be able to look at science ideas and process them in a way that I can understand them and communicate them to other people.  There are certain things, like relativity, however that I just don’t get. 

When I read Richard Dawkins’ book on the evidence for evolution The Greatest Show on Earth (previously reviewed on this blog) I found myself thinking, “This all makes so much sense. Everyone should read this book.”  The book covered topics from biology, physics, geology and other sciences.  While the topics were big the reading was light and a joy to consume.

The book was right in my wheelhouse. I had spent several years of my life studying (and at times struggling) with the same topics.  It wasn’t until I read another review of the book by an evolutionary biologist that I realized the limited scope of understanding I had. 

Did I understand evolution well? Definitely – Relative to a fifth grader.

I love science. Not everybody does. Still I believe in science literacy for the masses.  Communicating science (or any subject for that matter) is easy when you are talking with people who already know what you are talking about.  I want to communicate science to people who haven’t spent years in the lecture hall and the lab. I want to speak science to the masses. I’m just not there yet.