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The Einstein field equations (EFE) may be written in the form: [5] [1] + = EFE on a wall in Leiden, Netherlands. where is the Einstein tensor, is the metric tensor, is the stress–energy tensor, is the cosmological constant and is the Einstein gravitational constant.
The Einstein–Hilbert action in general relativity is the action that yields the Einstein field equations through the stationary-action principle. With the (− + + +) metric signature , the gravitational part of the action is given as [ 1 ]
In general relativity, an exact solution is a solution of the Einstein field equations whose derivation does not invoke simplifying assumptions, though the starting point for that derivation may be an idealized case like a perfectly spherical shape of matter.
The Einstein tensor is built up from the metric tensor and its partial derivatives; thus, given the stress–energy tensor, the Einstein field equations are a system of ten partial differential equations in which the metric tensor can be solved for.
Einstein's equations can also be solved on a computer using sophisticated numerical methods. [1] [2] [3] Given sufficient computer power, such solutions can be more accurate than post-Newtonian solutions. However, such calculations are demanding because the equations must generally be solved in a four-dimensional space.
The solutions to the equation are mathematical functions which correspond directly to the field, as functions of time and space. Since the field equation is a partial differential equation, there are families of solutions which represent a variety of physical possibilities. Usually, there is not just a single equation, but a set of coupled ...
Albert Einstein's discovery of the gravitational field equations of general relativity and David Hilbert's almost simultaneous derivation of the theory using an elegant variational principle, [B 1]: 170 during a period when the two corresponded frequently, has led to numerous historical analyses of their interaction.
The metric tensor is a central object in general relativity that describes the local geometry of spacetime (as a result of solving the Einstein field equations). Using the weak-field approximation, the metric tensor can also be thought of as representing the 'gravitational potential'. The metric tensor is often just called 'the metric'.