---
title: "Understanding Einstein’s Theory of Relativity"
description: "Albert Einstein's theory of relativity is the basis for our understanding of the universe, but if you still aren't quite sure how it works, this video does an excellent job of explaining."
date: "2014-12-07"
modified: "2017-06-21"
authors:
  - name: "Jolene Creighton"
    link: "https://futurism.com/authors/jolene-creighton"
url: "https://futurism.com/amazing-animation-explaining-einsteins-theory-relativity"
categories:
  - "Science & Energy"
tags:
  - "Albert Einstein"
  - "general theory of relativity"
  - "special theory of relativity"
---

# Understanding Einstein’s Theory of Relativity

![](<https://futurism.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/general-relativity.jpg>)
*Image Credit: NASA \<em\>Image: \<a href="https://www.nasa.gov/images/content/172129main_gpb-earth-300dpi%20copy.jpg" target="\_blank"\>NASA\</a\>\</em\>*

[Albert Einstein](<https://futurism.com/know-your-scientist-albert-einstein>) is unquestionably one of the greatest scientists to ever live. He's responsible for likely [the most well-known equation of all time](<https://futurism.com/albert-einstein-the-man-behind-the-math>), and decades after his death, his work is [still a topic of discussion](<https://futurism.com/brian-greene-and-alan-alda-on-why-einstein-hated-quantum-mechanics>). He's the subject of [several urban legends](<https://futurism.com/10-things-most-people-dont-know-about-albert-einstein-2>), and even his brain itself has been [the target of intense scrutiny](<https://futurism.com/the-myth-of-einsteins-brain-and-how-it-differs-from-the-norm>).

Most notably of all, though, are Einstein's theories of [special relativity](<https://www.space.com/36273-theory-special-relativity.html>) and [general relativity](<https://www.space.com/17661-theory-general-relativity.html>), which are among the most important contributions to science.

As it stands, Einstein's theory of general relativity is so integral to modern science that if you were to disprove it somehow, the entire infrastructure for our current understanding of the universe would collapse. By most estimates, science would be set back a century.

Fortunately for science, it is extremely unlikely that this will happen as relativity happens to be one of the most thoroughly tested scientific theories of all time. However, it's also something that many people have a hard time understanding.

To that end, the below [animation by Eugene Khutoryansky](<https://youtu.be/ev9zrt__lec>) breaks it down quite nicely.

https://youtu.be/ev9zrt__lec

### Author social links  
[Facebook](<https://www.facebook.com/jolene.creighton>)  
[LinkedIn](<https://www.linkedin.com/in/jolenecreighton>)  
[Twitter](<https://x.com/sciencejolene>)