Einstein's theory not only describes our universe, from the Big Bang to black holes; it has also taught physicists the relevance of geometry and symmetry – lessons that spread from particle physics to crystallography. But, despite the similarities that Einstein's theory has with other theories in physics, it stands apart by its refusal to fit together with quantum mechanics, the theory that explains the dominant behavior of matter at the atomic and subatomic scale.
爱因斯坦的理论不但描述了从我们的宇宙——从大爆炸到黑洞；它也教会了物理学家几何与对称的重要性——从粒子物理到晶体学都获益良多。但是，尽管爱因斯坦的理论与其他物理学理论有诸多相似之处，但它与解释原子和次原子级别物质的主要行为的量子力学格格不入。