This course on Special Relativity aims to help learners understand Einstein's insights into space, time, and energy. By the end of the course, students will be able to grasp concepts such as time dilation, length contraction, Lorentz transformations, spacetime diagrams, and the implications of mass-energy equivalence (E=mc^2). The course teaches skills in mathematical reasoning, conceptual thinking, and visualizing complex scientific phenomena. It is delivered through a combination of visual, conceptual, and mathematical explanations, making it suitable for individuals with a basic understanding of high school algebra.
Overview
Syllabus
- Introduction
- Scale
- Speed
- The Speed of Light
- Units
- The Mathematics of Speed
- Relativity of Simultaneity
- Pitfalls: Relativity of Simultaneity
- Calculating the Time Difference
- Time in Motion
- How Fast Does Time Slow?
- The Mathematics of Slow Time
- Time Dilation Examples
- Time Dilation: Experimental Evidence
- The Reality of Past, Present, and Future
- Time Dilation: Intuitive Explanation
- Motion's Effect On Space
- Motion's Effect On Space: Mathematical Form
- Length Contraction: Travel of Proxima Centauri
- Length Contraction: Disintegrating Muons
- Length Contraction: Distant Spaceflight
- Length Contraction: Horizontal Light Clock In Motion
- Coordinates For Space
- Coordinates For Space: Rotation of Coordinate Frames
- Coordinates For Space: Translation of Coordinate Frames
- Coordinates for Time
- Coordinates in Motion
- Clocks in Motion: Examples
- Clocks in Motion: Length Expansion From Asynchronous Clocks
- Clocks in Motion: Bicycle Wheels
- Clocks in Motion: Temporal Order
- Clocks in Motion: How Observers Say the Other's Clock Runs Slow?
- The Lorentz Transformation
- The Lorentz Transformation: Relating Time Coordinates
- The Lorentz Transformation: Generalizations
- The Lorentz Transformation: The Big Picture Summary
- Lorentz Transformation: Moving Light Clock
- Lorentz Transformation: Future Baseball
- Lorentz Transformation: Speed of Light in a Moving Frame
- Lorentz Transformation: Sprinter
- Combining Velocities
- Combining Velocities: 3-Dimensions
- Combining Velocities: Example in 1D
- Combining Velocities: Example in 3D
- Spacetime Diagrams
- Spacetime Diagrams: Two Observers in Relative Motion
- Spacetime Diagrams: Essential Features
- Spacetime Diagrams: Demonstrations
- Lorentz Transformation: As An Exotic Rotation
- Reality of Past, Present, and Future: Mathematical Details
- Invariants
- Invariants: Spacetime Distance
- Invariants: Examples
- Cause and Effect: A Spacetime Invariant
- Cause and Effect: Same Place, Same Time
- Intuition and Time Dilation: Mathematical Approach
- The Pole in the Barn Paradox
- The Pole in the Barn: Quantitative Details
- The Pole in the Barn: Spacetime Diagrams
- Pole in the Barn: Lock the Doors
- The Twin Paradox
- The Twin Paradox: Without Acceleration
- The Twin Paradox: Spacetime Diagrams
- Twin Paradox: The Twins Communicate
- The Relativistic Doppler Effect
- Twin Paradox: The Twins Communicate Quantitative
- Implications of Mass
- Force and Energy
- Force and Energy: Relativistic Work and Kinetic Energy
- E=MC2
- Course Recap
Taught by
World Science Festival
