Event

Science: Fulvio Melia: 'Cracking the Einstein Code'

For more than four decades after its publication, Albert Einstein's theory of general relativity remained largely a curiosity for scientists; it seemed accurate, but the code of six interlocking equations was difficult to crack. But 29-year-old Cambridge graduate Roy Kerr solved the great riddle in 1963, the same year as the discovery of black holes, finally providing fertile testing ground for general relativity. Few know how Kerr did it, but Fulvio Melia, professor of physics and astronomy at the University of Arizona and author of Cracking the Einstein Code, unmasks the history behind the search for a real-world solution to Einsteins field equations, ultimately showcasing how pathfinding theoretical science gets done. Presented as part of Town Halls Seattle Science Lectures series, with Pacific Science Center and University Book Store.