The special theory of
relativity
Chirilă Cătălin Marian
Special vs General
The “Old Times”
1. Absolute time : time flows independently of anything in the
universe.
2. Absolute space: space exists as a fixed, rigid “stage” on which events
happen.
3. Independence of Space and Time
4. Galilean Relativity (Galilean Invariance)
5. Instantaneous Action at a Distance
6. No Upper Speed Limit
Michelson- Morley
experiment
Maxwell’s equation in
vacuum
The Postulates
• The speed of light has the same value in any inertial frame.
• All inertial frames are “equivalent”.
The Lorentz transformations
The fundamental effects – Kinematics
Time dilation
Lenght contraction
Loss of simultaneity
The fundamental effects – Dynamics
Energy- mass equivalence
Relativistic force
A Paradox