Advanced Topics in Physics: Special Relativity

If a woman travels to a nearby star system at close to the speed of light, she will return much younger than her twin sister, who stayed home. This is just one of the discoveries revealed by Albert Einstein's Special Theory of Relativity, which revolutionized physics. Perhaps the most famous equation in science, E = mc2, revealed that matter and energy are equivalent, setting the stage for atomic bombs and nuclear power plants. It showed that an object's length depends on its speed relative to an observer, that the passage of time depends on relative motion, and that an object's mass varies with speed. This course explores the problems and inadequacies of Newtonian mechanics, then shifts focus to Einstein's groundbreaking solution, the Special Theory of Relativity. Through class discussions and extensive problem solving, you'll learn about the principle of relativity and the light postulate, simultaneity, relativistic kinematic and dynamic calculations, light cones, k-calculus, and Minkowski space, and explore mathematical concepts underlying Einstein's general theory of relativity and how they can help us understand the universe.
Typical Class Size: 18-20