In what way do observations of Mercury support Einstein's general theory of relativity?
A)Mercury's orbit slowly precesses in a way that matches the prediction of general relativity but disagrees with the prediction based on Newton's universal law of gravitation.
B)Einstein discovered that time runs slower on Mercury than on Earth,as his theory predicted.
C)Einstein was able to explain the fact that Mercury orbits the Sun exactly twice for every three rotations,and Newton's theory of gravity cannot account for this.
D)We can see that Mercury lies deeper in the spacetime bowl that surrounds the Sun than does Earth.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Mercury's orbit precession has been observed to match the prediction of general relativity, which takes into account the curvature of spacetime caused by the mass of the Sun. This precession cannot be accounted for by Newton's universal law of gravitation, which assumes that gravity acts instantaneously across infinite distances. Therefore, the observed precession supports Einstein's theory of general relativity over Newton's theory.

In What Way Do Observations of Mercury Support Einstein's General