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Department of Mathematics,
University of California San Diego

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Math 196 - Undergraduate Student Colloquium

Jeff Rabin

UCSD

The unreasonable effectiveness of mathematics in physics: Differential geometry and general relativity

Abstract:

2015 was the Centinnial year of Einstein's General Theory of Relativity, and fittingly concluded with the discovery of gravitational waves, which he had predicted. Despite knowing the key physical principles, Einstein was only able to formulate his theory after learning differential geometry from mathematician Marcel Grossmann in 1912. In a sense, General Relativity simply $is$ applied differential geometry. This talk will sketch the key ideas of differential geometry and how they apply to Einstein's theory of gravity. The presentation will emphasize ideas and pictures, rather than equations.

Organizer: Brendon Rhoades

November 22, 2016

7:00 AM

AP&M B402A

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