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Einstein for Everyone

Einstein for Everyone

There was standing room only at the Hotel Conference Centre on DUT’s Ritson Campus on 10 November for a public lecture by highly respected theoretical physicist, Professor Naresh Dadhich. “Einstein for proved popular with the diverse audience that included academics, students and members of the public…

There was standing room only at the Hotel Conference Centre on DUT’s Ritson Campus on 10 November for a public lecture by highly respected theoretical physicist, Professor Naresh Dadhich. “Einstein for proved popular with the diverse audience that included academics, students and members of the public.

Professor Dadhich, a former Director and Emeritus Professor at Inter-University Centre for Astronomy and Astrophysics wanted to make the talks less scientific and more accessible .Professor Dadhich said, “I want to convey the best message of Einstein for the lay person without recourse to mathematical details and sophistication.”

He dedicated the event to a colleague and friend who passed on, Professor A.K. Raychauduri. Professor Dadhich paid tribute to him for his seminal contributions under profound circumstances.

Universality was defined as anything which is the same for all and equally shared. Time and space are two universal entities. Professor Dadhich explained this with simple examples that would enable the listeners to better comprehend.

Can two Universal things be independent of each other? Professor Dadhich said, “They cannot be independent, there must be a relationship and it must be universal.”

He went on to discuss the relationship between space and time. “A universal velocity is required to relate space and time,” said Professor Dadhich. Diagrams and notes were used to illustrate this.

What can move with Universal Velocity? The Concept of Motion was introduced with in-depth explanations about a wave and a particle. Professor Dadhich also explained what would have happened had Einstein been born in 1844 instead of 1879. “Special Relativity would have been discovered before Maxwell Electrodynamics, which would have been most remarkable,” enthused Professor Dadhich.

Einstein, who worked at a patent office, made the statement that velocity of light is constant. “Einstein was a most remarkable man who is responsible for great advancement in our thought processes, and provided a conceptual break from the rest of physics,” said Professor Dadhich.

Many other scientific theories were discussed before the evening concluded. Vice-Chancellor and Principal, Professor Ahmed C. Bawa said, “It was absolutely wonderful that Professor Dadhich pulled out the essentials and made it coherent”.

– Savie Naicker

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