Consider the following phenomena :
- 1.Light is affected by gravity.
- 2.The Universe is constantly expanding.
- 3.Matter warps its surrounding space-time.
Which of the above is/are the prediction/predictions of Albert Einstein’s General Theory of Relativity, often discussed in media ?
Show answer
Answer: D. General relativity predicts that matter warps space-time, that gravity bends light (confirmed in 1919), and its equations imply a universe that is not static but expanding (later seen by Hubble). So 1, 2 and 3.
Watch for: Einstein himself first resisted an expanding universe, so students think expansion was not his prediction.
Why the other options are wrong
- A. Wrong because space-time warping is also a prediction.
- B. Wrong because light bending and expansion are also predictions.
- C. Wrong because the expanding universe also follows from the theory.
Source to check: NASA Science website, 'Einstein's Theory of General Relativity'; ICTS/IUCAA outreach material on gravitational waves (2016)
Answer from the official UPSC key. Written and fact-checked by AI against the official key. Spotted a mistake? Report it.