Special relativity rensselaer polytechnic institute. Introduction to tensor calculus for general relativity. Fundamental laws of physics are identical for any two observers in uniform relative motion. Notes on special relativity pdf 78p this note covers the following topics. Nov 21, 2017 special relativity is not a theory about light, it is a theory about space and time, but it was the strange behaviour of light that first alerted scientists to the possibility that the universe had an unexpected geometry. Indeed, when you plug in some numbers, you can really get a feel for just how weird special relativity is. Einstein famously showed that two events can look simultaneous to one observer but not to another.
Scotthughes 15march2005 massachusetts institute of technology department of physics 8. These principles, and their consequences constitute the special theory of relativity. Special relativity is a theory of exceptional elegance. Its entitled special relativity and classical field theory, and is in much the same successful style as the first two books. And this is the original program of einsteins theory of relativity. Nowadays this theory is often used as a prototype for other, more intricate constructions to describe forces between elementary particles or other branches of fundamental physics. Syllabus introduction to special relativity physics. It is in no sense a provisional theory and is largely compatible with quantum theory. Amongst other things, this latter theory is essentially. Later, einstein was able to further develop this theory, leading to what is known as the general theory of relativity. Using only special relativity and the fact that newtons theory of gravity works terrestrially, einstein was able to produce what we now know as general relativity. The third key idea is that mass as well as mass and momentum.
The point will be both to recall what sr is all about, and to introduce tensors and related. The equality of inertial and gravitational mass as an argument for the general postulate of relativity 21. Spacetime diagrams, spacetime, geometry introducing spacetime classically we have an absolute time, which can be viewed as a onedimensional euclidean space, r, plus an absolute threedimensional space, r3. Time and space are two separate spaces and the movement in one space. Special relativity and the curious physics of chronology. We will probably have a lecture or two to introduce his general theory as well, but the principal focus will be on special relativity, which we will study in quite a bit of detail. It is designed for people who have had intro physics only. The speed of light, measured in any reference frame and in any direction, is c. Special relativity read p98 to 105 the principle of special relativity. An introduction to the special theory of relativity. I make videos about physics, math, astronomy and scientific beauty with a new episode every. December 1997 lecture notes on general relativity sean m.
The exams section contains exams, solutions, and study guides from the 2003 and 2005 offerings of this course. Special relativity is mathematically selfconsistent, and it is an organic part of all modern physical theories, most notably quantum field theory, string theory, and general relativity in the limiting case of negligible gravitational fields. The derivation of maxwells equations from special relativity and coulombs law is given in part iv. Knuteson wishes to acknowledge that this course was originally designed and taught by prof. Einsteins postulates for the special theory of relativity. Massachusetts institute of technology department of physics 8. Special relativity einstein 1905 based on two postulates. With their newtonian ideas of absolute space and time firmly entrenched, most physicists thought that this speed was correct only in one special frame. The laws of physics are the same in all frames of reference. Experience and the special theory of relativity 17. Which is the best special relativity book with proper. It is perhaps a little unfortunate that the word relativity immediately conjures up thoughts about the work of einstein. Oct 03, 2018 in this video i talk about spacetime diagrams, simultaneous events and causality in special relativity. Frames of reference and newtons laws, the speed of light, michelsonmorley experiment, special relativity, the lorentz transformations, time dilation, adding velocities.
Relativity 4 relativistic momentum department of physics. I love the description of special relativity in terms of frameindependent, geometric objects, such as scalars and 4vectors. Special relativityintroduction wikibooks, open books for. A common confusion for students of special relativity is between that which is real and that which is apparent. Lecture notes on special relativity macquarie university. Find materials for this course in the pages linked along the left. Special relativity is now one of the foundation blocks of physics. Freely browse and use ocw materials at your own pace. Your use of the mit opencourseware site and course materials is subject to the conditions and. Massachusetts institute of technology department of physics lectures by. Lecture notes relativity physics mit opencourseware. We will let u velocity of sound waves, v recession velocity of the source, t s the period of the wave at the source, t o the period of the wave as observed. Introduction to special relativity mit opencourseware.
Introductory physics series is the result of a program of careful study, planning, and development that began in 1960 the education research center at the massachusetts institute of technology formerly the science teaching center was established to study the process of instruction, aids thereto, and the learning process itself, with special reference to science teaching at the. The laws of nature look exactly the same for all observers in inertial reference frames, regardless of their state of relative velocity. A walk on the train, relativistic dynamics, mass and energy, energy and momentum in lorentz transformations, transforming energy into mass and how. Special relativity and particle physics mit high school studies program fall 2008 what im really interested in is whether god could have made the world in a different way. Selected lecture notes to supplement the textbook are available below. This writeup summarizes the derivation and use of the lorentz transformation to relate two inertial frames. Massachusetts institute of technology department of physics.
Massachusetts institute of technology special relativity inertial. I honestly cant say i really knew what i was doing until about halfway through the third time. Massachusetts institute of technology department of. Aug 22, 2012 special relativity has changed the way we think about time and the order of events. This is why in an introduction to general relativity it is of. These are introduced in chapter 6 and used thereafter. General relativity is a beautiful scheme for describing the gravitational. These postulates cannot be satisfied using the galilean equations. Special relativity may be divided into 1you shouldnt feel too bad about having spent so much time learning about a theory thats just the limiting case of another theory, because youre now going to do it again. Historically, it was easy to leave gravity out phenomenologically, because it is a factor of 1038 weaker than the other. In 1915 he published his general theory of relativity, dealing withgravityandacceleration. Today the the necessary tools and knowledge are available that the special theory of relativity.
February 14, 2008 the views of space and time which i wish to lay before you have sprung from the soil of experimental physics, and therein lies their strength. This course introduces the basic ideas and equations of einsteins special theory of relativity. If you are interested in understanding special relativity, then you should read parts i iii. The speed of light is independent of the motion of the light source or observer. Use ocw to guide your own lifelong learning, or to teach others. This is einsteins famous strong equivalence principle and it makes general relativity an extension of special relativity to a curved spacetime. There are six types of quarks, each with a different.
History is a part of all sciencei will mention some of the relevant events in the development of special relativity but there is no attempt to present the material in a historical way. If you have hoped to understand the physics of lorentz contraction, time dilation, the twin paradox, and emc2, youre in the right place. Albert einstein our imagination is stretched to the utmost, not, as in fiction. Carroll 1 special relativity and flat spacetime we will begin with a whirlwind tour of special relativity sr and life in. Much of the material is at a level suitable for high school students who have had advanced placement in physics and. First discussion of minkowski diagrams, world lines. Free relativity books download ebooks online textbooks. Special relativity the mit introduction physics paperback january 1, 1966 4. Taylor and wheeler is good, but not all that mathematical. Documents and settingsphilip harrismy documentsteaching.
All references frames are equivalent, or that no single reference frame is in any way special. Special relativity theory srt has two postulates, one stating that the laws of physics are the same for all observers, and the other stating that the speed of light is the constant 186,000 miles. The idea that a principle of relativity applies to the properties of the physical. The special theory of relativity physics department, iisc. Lecture notes 1 the doppler effect and special relativity. The theory of relativity can be broken down into two parts. If you just want to find out why this topic is so intriguing then skip directly to the discussion in section 19. It is the purpose of this book to provide an introduction to the special theory of relativity which is accessible to any stu dent who has had an introduction to general physics and some slight acquaintance with the calculus. Brief introduction to special relativity pdf mit opencourseware. Relativity is also the limiting case of another theory quantum. Lecture notes on special relativity department of physics. Exams introduction to special relativity physics mit. Special relativity formulas pdf mit opencourseware. The special theory of relativity was the result of developments in physics at the.
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