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The General Theory of Relativity is, as the name indicates, began as a generalization of the Special Theory of Relativity. It is certainly one of the most remarkable achievements of science to date, it was developed by Einstein with little or no experimental motivation but driven instead by philosophical questions: Why are inertial frames of reference so special? Why is it we do not feel gravity's pull when we are freely falling? Why should absolute velocities be forbidden but absolute accelerations by accepted? The general theory started with two princples:
1) The Principle of Covariance: The Laws of Physics are invariant in all frames of reference (in all coordinate systems). and
2) The Principle of Equivalence: There is no way to distinguish between a uniform gravitational field and a uniformly accelerating reference frame.
Figure: Einstein
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