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The Center for Science Excellence hosted a seminar Friday testing Albert Einstein's long-standing theory of gravity.
Professor Derek Jackson Kimball from Cal State-East Bay visited the Contra Costa College campus to speak to CSE students about putting Einstein's theory of gravity to the test.
According to Einstein's theory, the gravitational force exerted on an object depends on its mass. Kimball and his research group aim to examine Einstein's assertion for gravity and analyze its effect by means of physical trial, since most tests of the theory have been purely observational.
The plan is in its early stages of development, including experimenting with the apparatus that will be used to prove the accuracy of the theory with atoms.
The experiment is asking a question of a nature to which scientists do not know the answer, Kimball said.
"Sometimes I hope that the answer might surprise us," Kimball said.
The apparatus, which is scheduled for completion within the next five years, will employ ultra-stable lasers for the directional testing of atoms. Atoms spinning clockwise would have a different energy of one that spins counterclockwise, due to gravity.
Proving Einstein's theory faulty would lead to new scientific breakthroughs and open new possibilities to humans' understanding of gravity. Kimball predicts that current beliefs on gravity will likely change in 10 to 50 years.
CCC engineering professor Chen Tsai said that gravity is the most fundamental theory of nature and people should be interested in this law of physics.
CSE student Jude Onwuemeka expressed enthusiasm about the seminar and of being part of the CSE.
Onwuemeka is hopeful that if Einstein's theory is proved wrong or faulty, it would make room for new progress and the possibility of a Nobel Prize for the experiment.
CSE students were invited to join Dr. Kimball for paid internships during the rest of spring and over summer.
Contact Brent Bainto at bbainto.advocate@gmail.com.
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