Extending Einstein’s elevator thought experiment to multiple spatial dimensions at the Luxor Hotel & Casino

(1) Nasri Academy for Gifted Children, Las Vegas, Nevada, (2) University of Nevada Las Vegas, Las Vegas, Nevada

https://doi.org/10.59720/21-077
Cover photo for Extending Einstein’s elevator thought experiment to multiple spatial dimensions at the Luxor Hotel & Casino

In 1907, Albert Einstein wrote one of his most important works, involving a comparison of the physical phenomenon that would be observed in an imaginary elevator in a gravitational field and an imaginary elevator that is accelerating in a zero-gravity environment. This thought experiment had far-reaching implications regarding gravitational and inertial mass, the bending of spacetime, and the curving of light by gravity. Now, a century later, we expand on Einstein’s principles and conduct the experiment in an actual elevator traveling at an angle in the pyramid-shaped Luxor Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas. This raises the research question, “Can the angle of the accelerating inclined elevator be measured from inside the elevator with no view of the outside world?” To answer this question, we designed a series of experiments based on the decomposition of motion vectors and Einstein’s Equivalency Principle. The experiment yielded data that accurately measured the angle of inclination and reasonable conclusions were drawn that the angle of inclination could in fact be measured with no view of the outside world.

Download Full Article as PDF