Einstein's Biggest Blunder, Explained

About this video

Thanks to Brilliant for supporting MinutePhysics. Get 20% off a premium subscription at https://brilliant.org/MinutePhysics/ This video is about how Albert Einstein made a mistake when applying the Field Equations of General Relativity to cosmology (in particular, to a static, constant density universe), and solved the problem by introducing the cosmological constant, rather than allowing for a dynamic universe with a scale factor - that is, the Friedmann-Lemaitre-Robertson-Walker universe, first developed by Alexander Friedmann of Russia. Later, it was discovered by the Slipher and Hubble red-shift that the universe is indeed expanding, and even later, by Schwarz and company in 1998, that the expansion is accelerating - aka, dark energy. And the cosmological constant was re-introduced. Thanks to Grant Sanderson of http://www.youtube.com/3Blue1Brown for help with the fancy equation animation! REFERENCES The Einstein Field Equations https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Einstein_field_equations Interrogating the Legend of Einstein’s “Biggest Blunder” https://arxiv.org/abs/1804.06768 On the General Theory of Relativity (Einstein) https://einsteinpapers.press.princeton.edu/vol6-trans/110 The Foundation of the General Theory of Relativity (Albert Einstein) https://einsteinpapers.press.princeton.edu/vol6-trans/158 Cosmological Considerations in the General Theory of Relativity https://einsteinpapers.press.princeton.edu/vol6-trans/433 Einstein Wrongly Criticizes Alexander Friedmann https://einsteinpapers.press.princeton.edu/vol13-trans/301 Alexander Friedmann Corrects Einstein https://einsteinpapers.press.princeton.edu/vol13-trans/363 Einstein Admits his Mathematical Mistake https://einsteinpapers.press.princeton.edu/vol14-trans/77 The Field Equations of Gravitation https://einsteinpapers.press.princeton.edu/vol6-trans/129 George Gamow https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_Gamow Mach’s Principle https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mach%27s_principle Equivalence Principle https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Equivalence_principle Sean Carroll and William Press Paper https://preposterousuniverse.com/wp-content/uploads/cpt92.pdf Support MinutePhysics on Patreon! http://www.patreon.com/minutephysics Link to Patreon Supporters: http://www.minutephysics.com/supporters/ MinutePhysics is on twitter - @minutephysics And facebook - http://facebook.com/minutephysics And Google+ (does anyone use this any more?) - http://bit.ly/qzEwc6 Minute Physics provides an energetic and entertaining view of old and new problems in physics -- all in a minute! Created by Henry Reich