Classical Tests of General Relativity Part I: Looking to the Past to Understand the Present

TL;DR

This paper reviews the classical tests of general relativity, such as light deflection and perihelion precession, providing historical context and foundational concepts to understand current and future gravitational research.

Contribution

It offers a non-technical overview of classical tests of GR, emphasizing their importance in understanding modern gravitational phenomena.

Findings

Confirmation of GR through classical tests

Historical significance of light deflection and perihelion precession

Foundational concepts for understanding gravitational waves

Abstract

Einstein's theory of general relativity (GR) provides the best available description of gravity. The recent detection of gravitational waves and the first picture of a black hole have provided spectacular confirmations of GR, as well as arousing substantial interest in topics related to gravitation. However, to understand present and future discoveries, it is convenient to look to the past, to the classical tests of GR, namely, the deflection of light by the Sun, the perihelion precession of Mercury, and the gravitational redshift of light. The objective of this work is to offer a non-technical introduction to the classical tests of GR. In this first part of the work, some basic concepts of relativity are introduced and the principle of equivalence is analysed. The second part of the article examines the classical tests.