relativity

[noun]

In science, relativity usually refers to the general theory of relativity, formulated by Albert Einstein in 1915. Einstein's general theory of relativity states that gravity affects both space and time. The gravity of a massive object warps space and time near it, so that the rules of geometry with which we are familiar (such as the interior angles of a triangle always adding up to 180°) are no longer true, and time passes more slowly (a clock near a massive object ticks more slowly than a clock far away from that object).