The special theory of relativity is a theory of classical physics that was developed at the end of the nineteenth century and the beginning of the twentieth century. The mathematical bases of special relativity are the lorentz transformations, which mathematically describe the views of space and time for two observers who are moving relative to each other but are not experiencing acceleration. Mar 30, 2017 the theory of special relativity explains how space and time are linked for objects that are moving at a consistent speed in a straight line. In physics, special relativity also known as the special theory of relativity is the generally accepted and experimentally confirmed physical theory regarding the relationship between space and time. Revision notes on galilean transformation, lorentz transformation, length contraction, time dilation and massenergy equivalence provides by askiitians. What is unique about these three theories, as distinct from say the theory of electromagnetism, is their generality. Albert einsteins theory of relativity encompasses two theories namely special relativity theory and general relativity theory. This is theory is based on two postulates laws of physics are invariant. He formulated two basic postulates for the special theory of relativity. Einstein explained that when two objects are moving at a constant speed as the relative motion between the two. Lectures can be viewed on phones, tabs or laptops or desktops. Relativistic mechanics is based on the theory of relativity. Its influence in the latter is so strong that max planck named the theory after the.
Lecture notes on special relativity download ebook pdf. Special theory of relativity nasir pervaiz butt notes of special theory of relativity for bsc written by mr. Einstein was a genius and his work extremely complicated. Summary of the predictions of the theory of special relativity time dilation length contraction along the direction of motion space and time are relative relativity of simultaneity velocities are relative, except for that of light, and add up in such a way that they never exceed the velocity of light. From the two principles of special relativity, some important consequences are derived.
Given here are notes on a few topics in special relativity. This site is based on a series of lectures i give as part of the course physics 2074 highlights on contemporary physics every fall semester. Special relativity or the special theory of relativity is a theory in physics that was developed and explained by albert einstein in 1905. Relativity both the special and general theories, quantum mechanics, and. In addition to the purely theoretical aspect, emphasis is also given to its historical development as well as to the experiments that preceded the theory and those performed in order to test its validity. General i article the special theory of relativity vasant natarajan and diptiman sen vasant natarajan is at the department of physics, lise, bangalore.
The conventional notion of absolute universal time is replaced by the notion of a time that is dependent on the reference frame and spatial position. Special theory of relativity postulates of special relativity. Lecture notes relativity special theory part of classical. This site is based on a series of lectures i give as part of the course physics 2074 highlights on. Modern relativity is based on einsteins two postulates. The other main plank was the principle of relativity or principle of invariance, an idea first stated by the great italian physicist galileo galilei as early as 1632. He argued that altering our understanding of the behavior of space and time could resolve certain problems in electrodynamics. What is unique about these three theories, as distinct from say the theory of electromagnetism, is.
It is a theorem that deals with the structure of spacetime. The general theory will not be dealt with in this course. The constant speed of light was to become one of the two main planks of his special theory of relativity, which we will examine in more detail in the next section. Special theory of relativity definition of special theory. It is a frame of reference which is either having a uniform linear. Time dilation, length contraction, relativity of simultaneity, synchronization. Notes on the meaning of einsteins special theory of relativity eric lord a refutation of the surprizingly prevalent belief that einsteins special relativity is wrong. Special relativity applies to minkowski space, or flat spacetime phenomena which are not influenced by gravitation. Relativistic mechanics notes for engineering physics btech. Handwritten notes twin paradox these are the notes of prof. Albert einstein 5 preface december, 1916 the present book is intended, as far as possible, to give an exact insight into the theory of relativity to those readers who, from a general scientific and philosophical point of view. Special relativity simple english wikipedia, the free.
The second postulate of special relativity is the idea that the speed of light c is a constant, independent of the. The theory of special relativity explains how space and time are linked for objects that are moving at a consistent speed in a straight line. Learn exactly what happened in this chapter, scene, or section of albert einstein and what it means. This set of lecture notes is based principally upon material drawn from these sources. Basics of special theory of relativity bsc lectures by prof. Amongst other things, this latter theory is essentially a theory of gravitation. His current research involves trapping of atoms to carry out high precision tests offundamen tal physics.
These notes are very helpful to prepare modern physics for bsc and are in accordance with paper pattern of punjab universitylahore, gculahore, gcufaislabad, university of sargodhasargodha and all other universities of punjab and pakistan. Theory of special relativity basics explained in hindi. Relativistic mechanics notes for engineering physics btech 1st year. Rtd asmat ullah, government college sargodha, which is now university of sargodha. The branch of theoretical physics that considers the classical laws of motion of bodies or particles at rates of motion. In physics, special relativity is the generally accepted and experimentally confirmed physical theory regarding the relationship between. The full set of lecture notes come in around 160 pages and can be downloaded here. The speed of light is the same regardless of the frame of reference of the observer. Nov 21, 2017 the special theory of relativity is a theory of classical physics that was developed at the end of the nineteenth century and the beginning of the twentieth century. Both galilean and relativistic mechanics define momentum to be. Later, einstein was able to further develop this theory, leading to what is known as the general theory of relativity. Documents and settingsphilip harrismy documentsteaching.
Pdf notes on the meaning of einsteins special theory of. We shall see that many surprising consequences follow from this innocuous looking statement. Perfect for acing essays, tests, and quizzes, as well as for writing lesson plans. One of its most famous aspects concerns objects moving. February 14, 2008 the views of space and time which i wish to lay before you have. A page of the original manuscripts of the theory of relativity developed by albert einstein on display at the israeli national academy of science and humanities in jerusalem on march 7, 2010. Newtons second law laws of physics in noninertial frames the special and general theories of relativity some history the lorentz transformation. Special theory of relativity definition, see under relativity def 2. A system of coordinates whose axes can be suitably chosen is said to be a frame of reference. A summary of special relativity in s albert einstein. Find materials for this course in the pages linked along the left. The main body of the book consists of chapters on relativistic kinematics and dynamics. Laws of physics must be the same in all inertial reference frames.
In fact, many of the theory s assertions almost appear ludicrous. The cornerstone of the theory of special relativity is the principle of relativity. Lecture notes on special relativity macquarie university. Einstein first introduced this term in the year 1905. Notes on special relativity physics 252, michael fowler, university of virginia. A frame of reference either at rest or moving with a uniform velocity zero acceleration is known as inertial frame. We discussed on time dilation, length contraction, twin paradox and two postulates of special. The special principle of relativity states that physical laws should be the same in every inertial frame of reference, but that they may vary across noninertial ones. Einstein explained this theory based on two postulates.
L3 postulates of special theory of relativity and galilean transformation. Speed of light and the principle of relativity special. This principle is used in both newtonian mechanics and the theory of special relativity. The special theory of relativity, formulated in 1905 by albert einstein, implies that addition of velocities does not behave in accordance with simple vector addition.
The first one, published by einstein in 1905 is called the special theory of relativity, and it is this subject with which we will deal in the following sparknotes on kinematics, dynamics, and application of special relativity. Bachelor of science degree bsc archives apni physics. Notes on special relativity vt physics virginia tech. The laws of physics are the same in all inertial reference frames. The theory einstein described is now known as the special theory of relativity. Students studying in bsc now will provide the workforce of teachers at all levels, schools, colleges and universities and also drive the research in science. The notes supplement material in chapter 1 relativity of the course text modern physics by raymond a. Total momentum in a system of interacting particles is conserved has its origin in newtons third law and it is a principle that holds both. Special relativity implies consequences like massenergy equivalence, relativity of simultaneity, length contraction and a universal speed limit. Special relativityintroduction wikibooks, open books.
This book offers a comprehensive, universitylevel introduction to einsteins special theory of relativity. The first postulate of special relativity is the idea that the laws of physics are the same and can be stated in their simplest form in all inertial frames of reference. Relativity of simultaneity to inside observer, light beams hit top and bottom simultaneously to outside observer, downward beam hits first car catches up upward beam hits next chases car. It applies to all physical phenomena, so long as gravitation is not significant. Irrespective of the light source, the speed of light in a vacuum is the same in any other space. Basics of special theory of relativity bsc lectures by. In relativistic physics, a velocityaddition formula is a threedimensional equation that relates the velocities of objects in. Special relativity lecture notes special relativity practice problems. In 1915 he published his general theory of relativity. The special theory of relativity physics, iisc indian institute of. Fall semester, 2011 revised version oberlin college physics 110 notes for mechanics and relativity there is, in nature, perhaps nothing older than motion, concerning. The theory is special in that it only applies in the special case where the spacetime is flat, i. The special theory we shall deliberately ignore the chronological development of the theory 1, and start directly from the answer. Scientists such as austrian physicist ernst mach and.
Einstein suggested that absolute motion has no meaning, that all motion is relative. Principle of relativity, lorentz transform, simultaneous events, causally connected events, addition of velocities, 4vectors. If the light combines in step, the observer notes that the view is bright, while if out. Lectures will be available even after the completion of course. In 1905, albert einstein published the theory of special relativity, which explains how to interpret motion between different inertial frames of reference that is, places that are moving at constant speeds relative to each other. Bsc is an important stage for science education and research in india.
First discussion of minkowski diagrams, world lines. If you have any comments or questions on these lecture notes, please email them to takeuchiatvtdotedu. An introduction to the special theory of relativity unl digital. The special theory of relativity and its applications to. The second theory, published in 1915, is called general relativity and is basically a theory of matter and gravity. Inertial and noninertial frames, invariance of newtons laws under galilean transformation, newtonian relativity, maxwells equations. Special relativity lecture notes table of contents. In his special theory of relativity he replaced them by the new concept of spacetime.
Relativity both the special and general theories, quantum mechanics, and thermodynamics are. Bsc level online courses by dr h c verma and others in his team primarily in hindi. General relativity addresses the problem of accelerated motion and gravity. Albert einstein first published his theory of special relativity in 1905. Special relativity practice problems a textbook based on this website is now available from cambridge university press. Lecture notes on special relativity department of physics. The notes were prepared for students in the introductory undergraduate course physics 200 relativity and quanta given by malcolm mcmillan at ubc during the 1998 and 1999 winter sessions. In order to correctly accommodate gravity, einstein formulated general relativity in 1915.
Special theory of relativity nasir pervaiz butt phycity. Lecture notes relativity physics mit opencourseware. Special theory of relativity or special relativity is a physical theory which states the relationship between space and time. Revision notes on special theory of relativity askiitians. Physics special relativity 34 of 43 relativistic sample problem length duration. Welcome to the special relativity homepage at the department of physics, college of science, virginia tech. The theory of relativity is traditionally broken into two parts, special and general relativity. There are tens of thousands of colleges offering bsc programs is remote.
Under galilean transformation, michelsonmorley experiment, postulates of the special theory of relativity, lorentz transformation. Most of analytic dynamics topics are covered by these notes and very few topic of theory of relativity are given. He has earlier worked on high precision mass spectrometry and on the focussing of atomic. It would be impossible to fully explain special relativity in a short lesson. Special theory of relativity university of toronto.
The first recorded discussion of the speed of light i think is in aristotle, where he. Special relativityintroduction wikibooks, open books for. Einstein correctly defined common sense as those prejudices that we acquire at an early age. The laws of physics are the same in all inertial frames of reference. The bachelor of science bsc degree for physics regular courses quantum mechanics bsc, electricity and magnetism, mechanics, special theory of relativity by using our website, you agree to the use of our cookies. This principle, called galilean relativity, is kept in einsteins theory of relativity. Relativity both the special and general theories, quantum mechanics, and thermodynamics are the three major theories on which modern physics is based.
David tong cambridge leture notes on dynamics and relativity. Special theory of relativity postulates of special. Special relativity deals in phenomena that dont agree with our historical or commonsense views of how the universe works. Special relativity, part of the wideranging physical theory of relativity formed by the germanborn physicist albert einstein. Individual chapters and problem sheets are available below.