Lecture 3

Quiz
The Michaelson-Morley experiment shows:
1. that light, just like sound, needs a medium to
propagate over;
2. evidence for the luminiferous ether;
3. motion of the Earth relative to the luminiferous
ether;
4. no evidence for the luminiferous ether.
Lecture 3
Einsteins Postulates
All inertial frames of reference are equivalent with respect
to all the laws of physics.
The speed of light in a vacuum is the same in all inertial
frames of reference.
No experiment one can perform in a uniformly
moving system in order to tell whether one is at
rest or in a state of uniform motion.
Lecture 3
Space-Time Diagram
Definitions:
Event: characterized by location
(e.g., x,y,z) and time (t) at that
location
Space-time diagram: a coordination
system in which every point
represents an event
ct
x
O
A (x,ct)
World line
World line: trajectory of an event in
the space-time diagram
Lecture 3
Description of Motion
In a spacetime diagram, the motion of an object traces out a
world line.
For an object that moves at a constant velocity, a
simple way of measuring the velocity is to measure the
positions of the object at two different times.
) ( ) (
1 1 2 2
1 2
r t r t
r r
v
! !
! !
!
!
!
=
Need a way to synchronize the clocks at different locations!
Assume that the object moves from r
1
at t
1
to r
2
at t
2
,
the velocity of the object is then
Lecture 3
Synchronization of Clocks
Choose a reference clock and reset it to zero
Generate a light pulse from the location of the reference
clock
Set a local clock to the time that it takes for the light
pulse to propagate from the location of the reference clock
to the current location.
According to Einsteins second postulate, the speed of light is
independent of inertial frames of reference, it provides a natural
(and ideal) way of sychronizing clocks.
For a given inertial frame of reference, synchronization is carried
out as follows:
Lecture 3
Relativity of Simultaneity
Lecture 3
Relativity of Simultaneity Revisited
ct
x
O
0 = v
A B C
x
ct
O
0 ! v
A B C
vt x x
i
+ =
Two events simultaneous in one inertial frame are not simultaneous
in any other inertial frame moving relative to the first
OR
Clocks synchronized in one inertial frame are not synchronized
in any other inertial frame moving relative to the first
Lecture 3
Relativity of Simultaneity Revisited
ct
x
O
0 = v
A B C
x
ct
O
0 ! v
A B C
vt x x
i
+ =
ct
x
Two events simultaneous in one inertial frame are not simultaneous
in any other inertial frame moving relative to the first
OR
Clocks synchronized in one inertial frame are not synchronized
in any other inertial frame moving relative to the first
Lecture 3
Reading Assignments
Chapter 1, sections 1-3, 1-4, and 1-5