George Sparks age 12, of Spokane, Washington, for his question;

What is Einstein's theory of relativity?

There comes a time when a boy gives up his tricycle for a bicycle, He has learned to cope with a simple idea and wants to handle something bigger, So, in a more complicated way, the ideas of human beings have been growing through the ages. In a ways mankind masters a tricycle idea only to want a bicycle idea.

Until about 400 years ago, he was fairly comfortable with the idea that his flat, firm earth was the center of the universe. He got about on this tricycle idea   but not very far. The theories of Copernicus and Galileo forced him to tackle a two wheeler idea   his earth was a small round planet in a vast revolving scheme of things. Newton’s theories of gravitation helped him to feel a bit more comfortable with the new idea   there was a force to keep him from falling off his little round earth and to keep his vast universe from flying apart

Then, tab out 50 years ago, a German scientist named Albert Einstein set forth a theory which, if true, meant that everything from the giant stars to every speck of dust had a place and a part to play in a gigantic, restless universe. Our home in the heavens turned out to be more safely held together than anyone had dared to think, In fact, most of this great theory of relativity is too complex for our thoughts to grasps.  But, time after time its calculations have said that this star should be here and another one there and always the telescopes and the spectroscopes have shown these calculations to be true,

The theory of relativity concerns the energy of the tiny atom and it spreads out to include the great forces which keep the whole universe working as one system. We have long known that all matter   which included solid materials liquids and gases is made of tiny bits called atoms.  And atoms seem constantly busy grouping up to form molecules breaking apart and forming other molecules    For this activity they use energy.  The energy of ancient sunbeams was used to form the molecules of black coal. When the coal burns the molecules break apart and that energy is set free again as heat and flame.

We are not too surprised then, to learn that there is a give and¬ take between matter and energy within the tiny atoms themselves, In fact, atoms are composed of minute bundles of energy, The theory of relativity concerns the far, far greater energy frozen in the form of atoms. If we could free the total energy of all the atoms in a piece of coal the size of a pea, we should have enough power to drive the big new liner United States clear across the stormy Atlantic.

Atoms within the great stars are constantly breaking apart to pour their energy through great distances across space with the speed of light. The activity of our sun not only affects its planets but the far, far distant stars as well, And those stars as well as our small planets affect in turn our radiant sun, Distance and time play their parts but all activity between matter and energy has some effect upon the whole universe,

For most of use it is all we can do to cope with a three dimensional universe of length, width and depth. The theory of relativity is calculated with a fourth dimension   time, The results of these calculations reveal yet a fifth dimensions way, way beyond the grasp of human minds. This is the dimension of space times which indicates that light traveling through space curves as it passes near heavenly bodies.  Figures using the great theory suggest these unimaginable things and telescopes and spectroscopes prove them to be true.