Bremen 2017 – scientific programme

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GR: Fachverband Gravitation und Relativitätstheorie

GR 12: Didaktische Aspekte der Relativitätstheorie

GR 12.1: Invited Talk

Thursday, March 16, 2017, 08:30–09:10, SFG 0140

Relatively complicated? Teaching general relativity at different levels — •Markus Pössel — Haus der Astronomie und Max Planck Institut für Astronomie, MPIA-Campus, Königstuhl 17, 69117 Heidelberg

Can a bowling ball in a rubber sheet properly represent Einstein's description of gravity? Is space really expanding in an expanding universe? In an interferometric gravitational wave detector, do light waves play the role of a ruler?

Simplifications and analogies are unavoidable whenever teaching Einstein's theory of general relativity to a wider audience, such as undergraduate students, high school students, or the general public. The talk presents examples for such simplifications and analogies at different levels, including a critical discussion of misleading examples and potential pitfalls.