New-Relativity I

Modern Physics-Relativit
Phy 582- Modern Physics
Modern PhysicsRelativity I
Special Theory of Relativity

A Brief introduction
Regular old classical

physics
Newtonian
Physics
When things get small
Quantum
physics
When things get fast
Special
relativity
Small &
fast
Quantum field
theory
Classical Physics
At the end of the 19th century it looked as
if Physics was pretty well wrapped up.
Newtonian mechanics and the law of
Gravitation had explained how the planets
moved and related that to how ordinary
objects here on earth responded to forces.
Classical Physics (Cont)

All this came to be known as classical
physics.
Little did the physicist of 1900 realize what
was in store during the next 100 years,
when the ideas, theories, and results of
modern physics were developed.
Twentieth Century Physics

General Theory of Relativity
Quantum Theory

Introduced a new way to view
Space
Time
Simultaneity
General Theory of Relativity

Re-interpreted gravitational theory in terms
of space-time.
Modern Physics-Relativity
Quantum Theory
Introduced a new way to think about atomic
processes
Replaced
absolute knowledge with probabilities
Helped clear up some problems that

classical theories could not explain.
Galilean-Newtonian Relativity
Inertial Reference Frame
Inertial
reference frames are those in which

Newtons laws of motion are valid.
Relativity Principle
The
basic laws of physics are the same in all inertial

reference frames.
Both understood by Galileo and Newton
Inertial Reference Frame
A reference frame is called an inertial frame

if Newton laws are valid in that frame.
Such a frame is established when a body, not
subjected to net external forces, is observed to
move in rectilinear motion at constant velocity.
Newtons laws of motion must be implemented with respect to (relative to)

some reference frame.
A reference frame is called an inertial frame if Newtons laws are valid in that
frame.
Such a frame is established when a body, not subjected to net external forces,
moves in rectilinear motion at constant velocity.
Newtonian Principle of Relativity

If Newtons laws are valid in one reference
frame, then they are also valid in another
reference frame moving at a uniform velocity
relative to the first system.
This is referred to as the Newtonian principle
of relativity or Galilean invariance.
Basic Problems of Newtonian

Mechanics
Newtonian mechanics fails to describe properly

the motion of objects whose speeds approach that
of light.
Newtonian mechanics is a limited theory.
It
places no upper limit on speed.

It is contrary to modern experimental results.
Newtonian mechanics becomes a specialized case of
Einsteins special theory of relativity.
When
speeds are much less than the speed of light.
Galilean Relativity
To describe a physical event, a frame of reference must be
established.
There is no absolute inertial frame of reference.
This means that the results of an experiment performed in a vehicle

moving with uniform velocity will be identical to the results of the same
experiment performed in a stationary vehicle.
Reminders about inertial frames:
Objects subjected to no forces will experience no acceleration.

Any system moving at constant velocity with respect to an inertial frame
must also be in an inertial frame.
According to the principle of Galilean relativity, the laws

of mechanics must be the same in all inertial frames of
reference.
Galilean Relativity Example

The truck moves with a
constant velocity with respect
to the ground.
The observer in the truck
throws a ball straight up.
It appears to move in a vertical

path.
The law of gravity and equations
of motion under uniform
acceleration are obeyed.
Galilean Relativity Example, cont.
There is a stationary observer on the ground.
Views the path of the ball thrown to be a parabola

The ball has a velocity to the right equal to the velocity of the truck.
Galilean Relativity Example,

conclusion
The two observers disagree on the shape of the
balls path.
Both agree that the motion obeys the law of
gravity and Newtons laws of motion.
Both agree on how long the ball was in the air.
Conclusion: There is no preferred frame of
reference for describing the laws of mechanics.
Views of an Event
An event is some physical

phenomenon.
Assume the event occurs and is
observed by an observer at rest in an
inertial reference frame.
The events location and time can be
specified by the coordinates (x, y, z, t).
Consider two inertial frames, S and
S.
S moves with constant velocity along
the common x and x axes.
The velocity is measured relative to S.
Assume the origins of S and S
coincide at t = 0.
Galilean Space-Time
Transformation Equations
An observer in S describes the event with spacetime coordinates (x, y, z, t).
An observer in S describes the same event with
space-time coordinates (x, y, z, t).
The relationship among the coordinates are:
x =
x vt
y = y
z = z
t = t
Notes About Galilean

Transformation Equations
The time is the same in both inertial frames.
Within
the framework of classical mechanics,

all clocks run at the same rate.
The time at which an event occurs for an
observer in S is the same as the time for the
same event in S.
This turns out to be incorrect when v is
comparable to the speed of light.
Galilean Velocity
Transformation Equation
Suppose that a particle moves through a
displacement dx along the x axis in a time dt.
The corresponding displacement dx is
dx ' dx
v
dt ' dt
or u ' x u x v
u
is used for the particle velocity and v is used for

the relative velocity between the two frames.
Galilean Transformation
Equations Final Notes
The x and x axes coincide, but their origins are different.
The y and y axes are parallel, but do not coincide.
This is due to the displacement of the origin of S with respect to that of S.

The same holds for z and z axes.
These axes coincide only at one instant due to the time-varying
displacement of the origin of S with respect to that of S.
Time = 0 when the origins of the two coordinate system

coincide.
If the S frame is moving in the positive x direction relative
to S, the v is positive. Otherwise, it is negative
Speed of Light
Galilean relativity does not apply to electricity,
magnetism, or optics.
Maxwell showed the speed of light in free
space is c = 3.00 x 108 m/s.
Physicists in the late 1800s thought light waves
moved through a medium called the ether.
The
speed of light would be c only in a special,

absolute frame at rest with respect to the ether.
The Need for Ether

The wave nature of light suggested that
there existed a propagation medium called
the luminiferous ether or just ether.
Ether had to have such a low density that the planets

could move through it without loss of energy
It also had to have an elasticity to support the high

velocity of light waves
Effect of Ether Wind on Light

Assume v is the
velocity of the ether
wind relative to the
earth.
c is the speed of light
relative to the ether.
Various resultant
velocities are shown.
Ether Wind, cont.

The velocity of the ether wind is assumed to
be the orbital velocity of the Earth.
All attempts to detect and establish the
existence of the ether wind proved futile.
But Maxwells equations seem to imply that
the speed of light always has a fixed value in
all inertial frames.
This
is a contradiction to what is expected

based on the Galilean velocity transformation
equation.
An Absolute Reference System

Ether was proposed as an absolute reference
system in which the speed of light was this
constant and from which other
measurements could be made.
The Michelson-Morley experiment was an
attempt to show the existence of ether.
The Michelson-Morley Experiment

Albert Michelson (18521931) received the
Nobel Prize for Physics (1907), and built an
extremely precise device called an
interferometer to measure the minute phase
difference between two light waves
traveling in mutually orthogonal directions.
Michelson-Morley experiment
Used the Michelson

interferometer with halftransparent glass
Arm 2 is aligned along
the direction of the Earths
motion through space
The effect should have
been to show small, but
measurable shifts in the
fringe pattern
Michelson-Morley Expected Results
The speed of light measured in the Earth frame should be c - v

as the light approaches mirror M2
The speed of light measured in the Earth frame should be c + v
as the light is reflected from mirror M2
The experiment was repeated at different times of the year
when the ether wind was expected to change direction and
magnitude
Michelson-Morley Results
No fringe shift of the magnitude required was ever
observed which means that speed of light (in vacuum) is
the same in all inertial frames of references
In other words, speed of light is independent of ether
speed and direction of motion of a frame of reference
This contradicted our normal intuition and the Galileos
principles of motion
What to do?
Are Maxwells equations wrong?
They
correctly predicted so many observations that

physicists were reluctant to give them up.
Ether is dragged along by the earth?

Got
the same results when the M&M experiment

was carried out in balloons and on mountaintops.
Each attempt to determine a way to find a preferred

reference system seemed to be doomed to failure
There is a Way Out of This Mess

Henri Poincare finally concluded that such
a complete conspiracy of nature must
itself be regarded as a law of nature. i.e.,
the Principle of Relativity must be valid!!
This was the state of affairs in 1905 when
Einstein presented his Theory of Relativity.
The Transition to Modern Relativity

Although Newtons laws of motion had the
same form under the Galilean
transformation, Maxwells equations did
not.
In 1905, Albert Einstein proposed a
fundamental connection between space and
time and that Newtons laws are only an
approximation.
Maxwells Equations
In Maxwells theory the speed of light, in
terms of the permeability and permittivity of
free space, was given by
Thus the velocity of light between moving

systems must be a constant.
Enter Einstein - 1905

In 1905 Albert Einstein proposed that we
accept the fact that the speed of light was
the same in all reference systems
(this
was consistent with the M&M result) and was

tantamount to doing away with the concept of the
ether.
Classical Relativity
1,000,000 ms-1
1,000,000
ms-1
How fast is Spaceship A approaching Spaceship B?
Both Spaceships see the other approaching at 2,000,000 ms-1.
This is Classical Relativity.
Einsteins Special Relativity

0 ms-1
300,000,000 ms-1
1,000,000 ms-1
Both spacemen measure the speed of the approaching ray of light.

How fast do they measure the speed of light to be?
Special Relativity
Stationary man
300,000,000
ms-1
Man travelling at 1,000,000 ms-1

301,000,000
ms-1?
Wrong!
The Speed of Light is

the same for all observers
Einsteins Principle of
Relativity
(Postulates of the Special Theory of Relativity)
Resolves the contradiction between Galilean relativity and the fact that the speed of light is
the same for all observers.
Postulates
First Postulate: The principle of relativity:
The
laws of physics must be the same in all inertial reference frames.
Second Postulate: The constancy of the speed of

light: the speed of light in a vacuum has the same value, c = 3.00 x
108 m/s, in all inertial frames, regardless of the velocity of the
observer or the velocity of the source emitting the light.
The Constancy of the Speed

of Light
This is required by the first postulate.
Confirmed experimentally in many ways
Explains the null result of the MichelsonMorley experiment
Relative motion is unimportant when
measuring the speed of light.
We
must alter our common-sense notions of

space and time.
Consequences of
Special Relativity
Restricting the discussion to concepts of simultaneity, time intervals,

and length
These
are quite different in relativistic mechanics from what they are in

Newtonian mechanics.
In relativistic mechanics
There
is no such thing as absolute length.

There is no such thing as absolute time.
Events at different locations that are observed to occur simultaneously in
one frame are not observed to be simultaneous in another frame moving
uniformly past the first.
Simultaneity
In special relativity, Einstein abandoned the
assumption of simultaneity.
Thought experiment to show this
A boxcar
moves with uniform velocity.

Two lightning bolts strike the ends.
The lightning bolts leave marks (A and B) on the car
and (A and B) on the ground.
Two observers are present: O in the boxcar and O on
the ground
Simultaneity Thought
Experiment Set-up
Observer O is midway between the points of lightning strikes

on the boxcar, A and B.
Observer O is moving with the boxcar midway between the
points of lightning strikes on the ground, A and B.
Experiment Results
The light reaches observer O at the same time.

He
concludes the light has traveled at the same speed over

equal distances.
Observer O concludes the lightning bolts occurred
simultaneously.
Experiment Results, cont.
By the time the light has reached
observer O, observer O has moved.
The signal from B has already swept
past O, but the signal from A has not
yet reached him.
The two observers must find that
light travels at the same speed.
Observer O concludes the
lightning struck the front of the
boxcar before it struck the back
(they were not simultaneous
events).
Experiment, Summary
Two events that are simultaneous in one reference
frame are in general not simultaneous in a second
reference frame moving relative to the first.
That is, simultaneity is not an absolute concept,
but rather one that depends on the state of motion
of the observer.
In
the thought experiment, both observers are correct,

because there is no preferred inertial reference frame.
Simultaneity, Transit Time

In this thought experiment, the disagreement
depended upon the transit time of light to the
observers and doesnt demonstrate the deeper
meaning of relativity.
In high-speed situations, the simultaneity is
relative even when transit time is subtracted out.
We
will ignore transit time in all further

discussions.
Time Dilation
A mirror is fixed to the ceiling of a
vehicle.
The vehicle
r is moving to the right with
speed . v
An observer, O, at rest in the frame
attached to the vehicle holds a flashlight a
distance d below the mirror.
The flashlight emits a pulse of light
directed at the mirror (event 1) and the
pulse arrives back after being reflected
(event 2).
Time Dilation, Moving

Observer
Observer O carries a clock.
She uses it to measure the time between the
events (tp).
Model the pulse of light as a particle under
constant speed.
The
observer sees the events to occur at the same

place.
tp = distance/speed = (2d)/c
Time Dilation,
Stationary
Observer
Observer O is in a second frame at rest with respect to the ground.
He observes the mirror and O to move with speed v.
By the time the light from the flashlight reaches the mirror, the mirror
has moved to the right.
The light must travel farther with respect to O than with respect to O.
Time Dilation, Observations

Both observers must measure the speed of
the light to be c.
The light travels farther for O.
The time interval, t, for O is longer than
the time interval for O, tp.
Time Dilation, Time

Comparisons
The time interval t is longer than
the time interval tp
t t
t p
2
v
1 2
c
where
1
v2
1 2
c
is always greater than unity
Time Dilation, Summary

The time interval t between two events
measured by an observer moving with respect
to a clock is longer than the time interval tp
between the same two events measured by an
observer at rest with respect to the clock.
This
effect is known as time dilation.
Factor
Time dilation is not observed
in our everyday lives.
For slow speeds, the factor of
is so small that no time
dilation occurs.
As the speed approaches the
speed of light, increases
rapidly.
Factor Table
Identifying Proper Time

The time interval tp is called the proper
time interval.
The
proper time interval is the time interval

between events as measured by an observer
who sees the events occur at the same point in
space.
You
must be able to correctly identify the observer

who measures the proper time interval.
Time Dilation
To understand time dilation the idea of proper
time must be understood:
The term proper time, is the time difference
between two events occurring at the same

position in a system as measured by a clock at
that position.
Same location
Time Dilation
Not Proper Time
Beginning and ending of the event occur at

different positions
Time Dilation Generalization

If a clock is moving with respect to you, the time
interval between ticks of the moving clock is
observed to be longer that the time interval between
ticks of an identical clock in your reference frame.
All physical processes are measured to slow down
when these processes occur in a frame moving with
respect to the observer.
These
processes can be chemical and biological as

well as physical.
Example Ship A passes ship B with a relative velocity of

0.8c (eighty percent of the velocity of light). A woman
aboard Ship B takes 4 s to walk the length of her ship.
What time is recorded by the man in Ship A?
t p
1 v c
2/ 2
Proper time tp = 4 s
B
v = 0.8c
Find relative time t
4.00 s
4.00 s
t
2
2
1- 0.64
1- (0.8c) / c
t = 6.67 s
Time Dilation Verification

Time dilation is a very real phenomenon that
has been verified by various experiments.
These experiments include:
Airplane
flights
Muon decay
Twin Paradox
Airplanes and Time Dilation

In 1972 an experiment was reported that
provided direct evidence of time dilation.
Time intervals measured with four cesium
clocks in jet flight were compared to time
intervals measured by Earth-based reference
clocks.
The results were in good agreement with the
predictions of the special theory of relativity.
Time Dilation Verification Muon Decays
(a)
Muons are unstable particles that have the same charge as an

electron, but a mass 207 times more than an electron.
Muons have a half-life of tp = 2.2 s when measured in a
reference frame at rest with respect to them (fig. a).
Relative to an observer on the Earth, muons should have a
lifetime of
tp (fig. b)
A CERN experiment measured lifetimes in agreement with the
predictions of relativity.
(b)
Muon Decay
3
Muon Decay
The Twin Paradox The

Situation
A thought experiment involving a set of twins,
Speedo and Goslo.
Speedo travels to Planet X, 20 light years from the
Earth.
His
ship travels at 0.95c.

After reaching Planet X, he immediately returns to the
Earth at the same speed.
When Speedo returns, he has aged 13 years, but

Goslo has aged 42 years.
The Twins Perspectives

Goslos perspective is that he was at rest
while Speedo went on the journey.
Speedo thinks he was at rest and Goslo and
the Earth raced away from him and then
headed back toward him.
The paradox which twin actually ages
more slowly?
The Twin Paradox The

Resolution
Relativity applies to reference frames moving at uniform speeds.
The trip in this thought experiment is not symmetrical since
Speedo must experience a series of accelerations during the
journey.
Therefore, Goslo can apply the time dilation formula with a
proper time of 42 years.
This gives a time for Speedo of 13 years and this agrees with the earlier
result.
There is no true paradox since Speedo is not in an inertial frame.
Length Contraction
The measured distance between two points
depends on the frame of reference of the
observer.
The proper length, Lp, of an object is the length
of the object measured by someone at rest
relative to the object.
The length of an object measured in a reference
frame that is moving with respect to the object is
always less than the proper length.
This
effect is known as length contraction.
More About Proper Length

Very important to correctly identify the
observer who measures proper length.
The proper length is always the length
measured by the observer at rest with respect
to the points.
Often the proper time interval and the proper
length are not measured by the same observer.
Length Contraction
0.9c
Lo
Since time is affected by

relative motion, length
will also be different:
LL LL00 11vv cc
22
22
Lo is proper length
L is relative length
Moving
Moving objects
objects are
are foreshortened
foreshortened due
due to
to relativity.
relativity.
Example : A meter stick moves at 0.9c

relative to an observer. What is the relative
length as seen by the observer?
Lo
LL LL00 11vv cc
22
1m
22
L (1 m) 1 (0.9c) / c
2
0.9c
2
L=?
L (1 m) 1 0.81 0.436 m
Length recorded by observer:
LL==43.6
43.6cm
cm
If the ground observer held a meter stick, the same contraction would
be seen from the ship.
Foreshortening of Objects
Note that it is the length in the direction of
relative motion that contracts and not the
dimensions perpendicular to the motion.
Assume each holds a
meter stick, in example.
If meter stick is 2 cm
wide, each will say the
other is only 0.87 cm
wide, but they will agree
on the length.
Wo
0.9c
1 m=1 m
W<Wo
Length
Contraction
v = 10% c
v = 80% c
A fastmoving
plane at
different
speeds.
v = 99% c
v = 99.9% c
Why Length Contraction

Suppose that a rocket moves from the Sun to the Earth at
v=0.95c ( =3.2).
According to an observer from Earth, the trip takes 500s.
Ship covers 150,000,000 km in 500 s
As seen by
earthbound
observer
By time dilation, only 500s/3.2=156s pass on the ship. The

crew observes the Earth coming at them at 0.95c
This means that the sun-earth distance according to the
crew must be reduced by 3.2!
As seen by
Earth covers
crew member
47,000,000 km in 156 s observer
"When you sit with a nice girl for two hours, it

seems like two minutes. When you sit on a hot
stove for two minutes, it seems like two hours,
that's relativity.
-Albert Einstein
We have seen:Galilean
Space-Time Transformation
Equations
An observer in S describes the event with spacetime coordinates (x, y, z, t).

An observer in S describes the same event with
space-time coordinates (x, y, z, t).
The relationship among the coordinates are:
x =
x vt
y = y
z = z
t = t
The Lorentz Transformations

The special set of linear transformations that:
1) preserve the constancy of the speed of light (c)
between inertial observers;

and,
2) account for the problem of simultaneity between
these observers
known as the Lorentz transformation equations
The Lorentz Transformations

-
The Lorentz coordinate transformations, is a set of formulas that relates the space and time
coordinates of two inertial observers moving with a relative speed .
Seen twov
consequences of the Lorentz transformation in the time dilation and length
contraction formulas.
The lorentz velocity transformation is the set of formulas that relate the velocities
components ux, uy, uz of an object moving in frame S to the velocity components ux, uy, uz
of the same object measured in frame S, which is moving with a speed relative to S.
The Lorentz transformation formulas provide a formal, concise, and almost mechanical
method of solution of relativity problem.
Lorentz Transformation Equations
Lorentz Transformation Equations

A more symmetric form:
Properties of
Recall = v/c < 1 for all observers.
1)
2)
equals 1 only when v = 0.

Graph:
(note v c)
Derivation
Use the fixed system K and the moving system K
At t = 0 the origins and axes of both systems are coincident with system
K moving to the right along the x axis.
A flashbulb goes off at the origins when t = 0.
According to postulate 2, the speed of light will be c in both systems
and the wavefronts observed in both systems must be spherical.
Derivation
Spherical wavefronts in K:
Spherical wavefronts in K:
Note: these are not preserved in the classical transformations

with
Derivation
Let x = (x vt) so that x = (x + vt)
We want a linear equation (1 solution!!)
1)
1)
By Einsteins first postulate :
2)
The wavefront along the x,x- axis must satisfy:

x = ct and x = ct
3)
Thus ct =
4)
Solving the first one above for t and substituting into the
second...
(ct vt) and ct = (ct + vt)
Derivation
Gives the following result:
from which we derive:
Finding a Transformation for t

Recalling x = (x vt) substitute into x =
and solving for t we obtain:
with:
t may be written in terms of (= v/c):
(x + vt)
The complete Lorentz Transformation
x vt
1 v2 / c2
y y
1 v2 / c2
y y
z z
z z
t vx / c
x vt
1 v2 / c2
t vx / c
1 v / c
2
If v << c, i.e., 0 and 1, yielding the familiar Galilean transformation.

Space and time are now linked, and the frame velocity cannot exceed c.
Addition of Velocities
Taking differentials of the Lorentz
transformation, relative velocities may be
calculated (dv=0 because we are in inertial
systems):
Addition of Velocities
v
Suppose a shuttle takes off quickly from a space ship already traveling
very fast (both in the x direction). Imagine that the space ships speed is v,
and the shuttles speed relative to the space ship is u. What will the
shuttles velocity (u) be in the rest frame?
Taking differentials of the Lorentz
transformation [here between the rest
frame (K) and the space ship frame (K)],
we can compute the shuttle velocity in the
rest frame (ux = dx/dt):
dx (dx v dt )
dy dy
dz dz
2
dt [dt (v / c )dx]
So that
defining velocities as: ux = dx/dt, uy = dy/dt,
ux = dx/dt, etc. it is easily shown that:
With similar relations for uy and uz:
The Lorentz Velocity Transformations

In addition to the previous relations, the Lorentz velocity
transformations for ux, uy , and uz can be obtained by
switching primed and unprimed and changing v to v:
Relativistic velocity
addition
Speed, u
1.1c
Galilean velocity
addition
1.0c
0.9c
Relativistic velocity
addition
0.8c
0
v = 0.75c
0.25c
0.50c
Speed, u
0.75c
0.50c with
respect to
rocket 1
1
Example
0.60c with respect

to Earth
Calculate the speed of rocket 2 with respect to earth.
u' v
u
vu '
1 2
c
0.60c v
0.50c u '
u' v
0.50c 0.60c
1.10c
u
0.85c
'
(
0
.
60
c
)(
0
.
50
c
)
vu
1.3
1
1 2
c2
c
Example: Lorentz velocity transformation

Capt. Kirk decides to escape from a hostile Romulan ship at 3/4c, but the
Romulans follow at 1/2c, firing a matter torpedo, whose speed relative to
the Romulan ship is 1/3c.
Question: does the Enterprise survive?
vRg = 1/2c
Romulans
vtR = 1/3c
vEg = 3/4c
torpedo
vRg = velocity of Romulans relative to galaxy

vtR = velocity of torpedo relative to Romulans
vEg = velocity of Enterprise relative to galaxy
Enterprise
Galileos addition of velocities

We need to compute the torpedo's velocity relative to the galaxy and
compare that with the Enterprise's velocity relative to the galaxy.
Using the Galilean transformation, we simply add the torpedos velocity

to that of the Romulan ship:
vtg vtR v Rg vtg 13 c 12 c 65 c

Now,
5
6
c 34 c The Enterprise is no more!
Galileos addition of velocities

We need to compute the torpedo's velocity relative to the galaxy and
compare that with the Enterprise's velocity relative to the galaxy.
Using the Galilean transformation, we simply add the torpedos velocity

to that of the Romulan ship:
vtg vtR v Rg vtg 13 c 12 c 65 c

Now,
5
6
c 34 c The Enterprise is no more!
vRg = 1/2c
Romulans
vtR = 1/3c
vEg = 3/4c
Enterprise
torpedo
vRg = velocity of Romulans relative to galaxy

vtR = velocity of torpedo relative to Romulans
vEg = velocity of Enterprise relative to galaxy
ux v
ux
1 ux v c 2
vtg
vtR v Rg
1 vtR v Rg c 2
Einsteins addition of velocities

Due to the high speeds involved, we really must relativistically add the
Romulan ships and torpedos velocities:
ux v
ux
1 ux v c 2
vtg
5
7
c 34 c
vtg
1
3
1
3
vtR v Rg
1 vtR v Rg c 2
c 12 c
5
7c
2
1
c 2 c / c
The Enterprise survives to seek out new worlds and go

where no one has gone before
A space ship moving away from the earth with speed 0.90 c fires a robot space probe
in the same direction as its motion, with speed 0.70 c relative to the space ship.
a)What is the probes velocity relative to the earth?
b)A scoutship tries to catch up with the space ship by traveling at 0.95 c relative to
the earth. What is the speed of the scoutship relative to the space ship?
a) 0.982 c
b) 0.345c

New-Relativity I

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New-Relativity I

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Modern Physics-Relativit

Phy 582- Modern Physics

Special Theory of Relativity

Regular old classical

When things get small

When things get fast

Classical Physics (Cont)

Twentieth Century Physics

Special Theory of Relativity

General Theory of Relativity

absolute knowledge with probabilities

Helped clear up some problems that

reference frames are those in which

basic laws of physics are the same in all inertial

Both understood by Galileo and Newton

Inertial Reference Frame

A reference frame is called an inertial frame

Newtons laws of motion must be implemented with respect to (relative to)

Newtonian Principle of Relativity

Basic Problems of Newtonian

Newtonian mechanics fails to describe properly

places no upper limit on speed.

speeds are much less than the speed of light.

This means that the results of an experiment performed in a vehicle

Reminders about inertial frames:

Objects subjected to no forces will experience no acceleration.

According to the principle of Galilean relativity, the laws

Galilean Relativity Example

It appears to move in a vertical

Galilean Relativity Example, cont.

There is a stationary observer on the ground.

Views the path of the ball thrown to be a parabola

Galilean Relativity Example,

An event is some physical

Notes About Galilean

the framework of classical mechanics,

is used for the particle velocity and v is used for

This is due to the displacement of the origin of S with respect to that of S.

Time = 0 when the origins of the two coordinate system

speed of light would be c only in a special,

The Need for Ether

Ether had to have such a low density that the planets

It also had to have an elasticity to support the high

Effect of Ether Wind on Light

Ether Wind, cont.

is a contradiction to what is expected

An Absolute Reference System

The Michelson-Morley Experiment

Used the Michelson

Michelson-Morley Expected Results

The speed of light measured in the Earth frame should be c - v

correctly predicted so many observations that

Ether is dragged along by the earth?

the same results when the M&M experiment

Each attempt to determine a way to find a preferred

There is a Way Out of This Mess

The Transition to Modern Relativity

Thus the velocity of light between moving

Enter Einstein - 1905

was consistent with the M&M result) and was

Einsteins Special Relativity

Both spacemen measure the speed of the approaching ray of light.