All movements must be referred to definite sets of co-ordinate axes. If there is any change of axes, the numerical magnitude of the movements will also change. But according to Newtonian dynamics, such alteration in physical movements can only be due to the effect of certain forces in the field.[[5]] Thus any change of axes will introduce new “geometrical” forces in the field which are quite independent of the nature of the body acted on. Gravitational forces also have this same remarkable property, and gravitation itself may be of essentially the same nature as these “geometrical” forces introduced by a change of axes. This leads to Einstein’s famous Principle of Equivalence. A gravitational field of force is strictly equivalent to one introduced by a transformation of co-ordinates and no possible experiment can distinguish between the two.
Thus it may become possible to “transform away” gravitational effects, at least for sufficiently small regions of space, by referring all movements to a new set of axes. This new “framework” may of course have all kinds of very complicated movements when referred to the old Galilean or “rectangular unaccelerated system of co-ordinates.”
But there is no reason why we should look upon the Galilean system as more fundamental than any other. If it is found simpler to refer all motion in a gravitational field to a special set of co-ordinates, we may certainly look upon this special “framework” (at least for the particular region concerned), to be more fundamental and more natural. We may, still more simply, identify this particular framework with the special local properties of space in that region. That is, we can look upon the effects of a gravitational field as simply due to the local properties of space and time itself. The very presence of matter implies a modification of the characteristics of space and time in its neighbourhood. As Eddington says “matter does not cause the curvature of space-time. It is the curvature. Just as light does not cause electromagnetic oscillations; it is the oscillations.”
We may look upon this from a slightly different point of view. The General Principle of Relativity asserts that all motion is merely relative motion between matter and matter, and as all movements must be referred to definite sets of co-ordinates, the ground of any possible framework must ultimately be material in character. It is convenient to take the matter actually present in a field as the fundamental ground of our framework. If this is done, the special characteristics of our framework would naturally depend on the actual distribution of matter in the field. But physical space and time is completely defined by the “framework.” In other words the “framework” itself is space and time. Hence we see how physical space and time is actually defined by the local distribution of matter.
There are certain magnitudes which remain constant by any change of axes. In ordinary geometry distance between two points is one such magnitude; so that δx² + δy² + δz² is an invariant. In the restricted theory of light, the principle of constancy of light velocity demands that δx² + δy² + δz² - c²δt² should remain constant.
The separation ds of adjacent events is defined by ds² = -dx² - dy² - dz² + c²dt². It is an extension of the notion of distance and this is the new invariant. Now if x, y, z, t are transformed to any set of new variables x₁, x₂, x₃, x₄, we shall get a quadratic expression for
where the g’s are functions of x₁, x₂, x₃, x₄ depending on the transformation.
The special properties of space and time in any region are defined by these g’s which are themselves determined by the actual distribution of matter in the locality. Thus from the Newtonian point of view, these g’s represent the gravitational effect of matter while from the Relativity stand-point, these merely define the non-Newtonian (and incidentally non-Euclidean) space in the neighbourhood of matter.
We have seen that Einstein’s theory requires local curvature of space-time in the neighbourhood of matter. Such altered characteristics of space and time give a satisfactory explanation of an outstanding discrepancy in the observed advance of perihelion of Mercury. The large discordance is almost completely removed by Einstein’s theory.