REALMS OF PHYSICS

• IN 1905, ALBERT EINSTEIN DEVELOPED HIS

THEORY OF SPECIAL RELATIVITY
SPECIAL • HOW WE MOVE THROUGH A SPACE
RELATIVITY CHANGES ON HOW WE MOVE THROUGH
TIME
VS • SPECIAL RELATIVITY REFERS TO MOTION
GENERAL THROUGH A SPACE AT CONSTANT
VELOCITY
RELATIVITY • GENERAL RELATIVITY REFERS TO
ACCELERATED MOTION THROUGH A SPACE
 SPACE-TIME
•EINSTEIN REASONED THAT SPACE AND TIME ARE
TWO PARTS OF ONE WHOLE CALLED SPACE-TIME
•FROM THE VIEWPOINT OF SPECIAL RELATIVITY, WE
TRAVEL THROUGH A COMBINATION SPACE AND
TIME
•WHEN WE STAND STILL, WE ARE ONLY TRAVELING
THROUGH THE TIME PORTION OF SPACE-TIME
•WHEN WE MOVE A BIT, WE TRAVEL THROUGH BOTH
ASPECTS OF SPACE-TIME
 • WHENEVER WE DISCUSS MOTION, WE
MUST PICK A REFERENCE POINT
• USUALLY WE REFER TO MOTION RELATIVE
TO THE SURFACE OF THE EARTH
MOTION IS • EXAMPLE: ON A BUS, YOU MAY TRAVEL 0
RELATIVE
MI/H RELATIVE TO THE SEAT, BUT 60 MI/H
RELATIVE TO THE ROAD OUTSIDE

• SPEED IS A RELATIVE QUANTITY, MEANING

ITS VALUE CHANGES BASED ON LOCATION,
OR FRAME OF REFERENCE
 MOTION IS RELATIVE
•THE SPEED OF AN OBJECT COMING FROM A MOVING
REFERENCE FRAME:
• ADD THE SPEED OF THE OBJECT ITSELF TO THE SPEED OF
THE REFERENCE FRAME

vball = 40 mph (relative to the ground)

vtruck = 0 mph (relative to the ground)
Catcher catches ball at 40 mph
 MOTION IS RELATIVE
•THE SPEED OF AN OBJECT COMING FROM A MOVING
REFERENCE FRAME:
• ADD THE SPEED OF THE OBJECT ITSELF TO THE SPEED OF
THE REFERENCE FRAME

vball = 40 mph (relative to the ground)

vtruck = 20 mph (relative to the ground)
Catcher catches ball at 60 mph
 MOTION IS RELATIVE
•THE SPEED OF AN OBJECT COMING FROM A MOVING
REFERENCE FRAME:
• ADD THE SPEED OF THE OBJECT ITSELF TO THE SPEED OF
THE REFERENCE FRAME

vball = 40 mph (relative to the ground)

vtruck = -20 mph (opposite direction of ball)
Catcher catches ball at 20 mph
 • LIGHT DOES NOT BEHAVE LIKE THE
BASEBALL THROWN FROM THE TRUCK

• NO MATTER WHAT THE SPEED OF THE

THE SPEED SOURCE OF THE LIGHT, LIGHT WILL

OF LIGHT IS ALWAYS TRAVEL TOWARD AN OBSERVER

AT THE SAME SPEED
CONSTANT • IF LIGHT IS A CONSTANT, THEN SPACE AND
TIME MUST BE A SINGLE UNIT
• ALTERING THE RATE OF ONE WILL ALTER
THE RATE OF THE OTHER
THE SPEED OF LIGHT
IS CONSTANT

• THE SPEED OF LIGHT IS FOUND TO BE

THE SAME IN ALL FRAMES OF
REFERENCE, MOVING OR NOT

• REPRESENTED BY THE VARIABLE, C

• C = 3 10 M/S (IN A VACUUM)
X 8
 • FIRST POSTULATE: ALL LAWS OF NATURE
ARE THE SAME IN ALL UNIFORMLY MOVING
FRAMES OF REFERENCE
• I.E. THE BEHAVIOR OF A COIN WHEN
FLIPPED ON A PLANE THAT IS MOVING AT
POSTULATES CONSTANT VELOCITY IS NO DIFFERENT
OF SPECIAL THAN IF FLIPPED WHILE STANDING STILL

RELATIVITY
• SECOND POSTULATE: THE SPEED OF
LIGHT, C, IN EMPTY SPACE WILL
ALWAYS HAVE THE SAME VALUE
REGARDLESS OF THE MOTION OF THE
SOURCE OR OBSERVER.
POSTULATES OF
SPECIAL RELATIVITY

• SECOND POSTULATE: THE SPEED OF

LIGHT, C, IN EMPTY SPACE WILL
ALWAYS HAVE THE SAME VALUE
REGARDLESS OF THE MOTION OF THE
SOURCE OR OBSERVER.
 TIME DILATION

•LIGHT CLOCK: A
FLASH OF LIGHT
BOUNCES BACK
AND FORTH
BETWEEN PARALLEL
MIRRORS AND
“TICKS” EQUAL
INTERVALS OF TIME
TIME DILATION

• CONSIDER A LIGHT CLOCK OBSERVED FROM SOMEONE

INSIDE A FAST-MOVING SPACE SHIP
• THIS OBSERVER WOULD SEE THE LIGHT
BOUNCING VERTICALLY UP AND DOWN

• CONSIDER A LIGHT CLOCK OBSERVED FROM SOMEONE

OUTSIDE A FAST-MOVING SPACE SHIP
• THIS OBSERVER WOULD SEE THE LIGHT MOVING
ALONG A DIAGONAL PATH, WHICH IS THEREFORE
LONGER
 • CONSIDER IDENTICAL TWINS:
• ONE TWIN TAKES A HIGH SPEED ROUND-
TRIP JOURNEY
• THE OTHER TWIN STAYS ON EARTH
THE TWIN • WHEN HE RETURNS, THE TRAVELING TWIN
WILL BE YOUNGER THAN HIS STAY-AT-
TRIP HOME TWIN
• I.E.) TRAVELING AT 50% C, 1.15 YEARS
WILL ELAPSE ON EARTH
• I.E.) TRAVELING AT 99.5% C, 10 YEARS
WILL ELAPSE ON EARTH
 THE TWIN TRIP

• IF MOTION IS RELATIVE, WHY WOULDN’TTHE TRAVELING TWIN COME HOME TO FIND

THE EARTH TWIN YOUNGER THAN HIMSELF?
 THE TWIN TRIP

The light flashes have less distance to

travel as the ship gets closer to the receiver
 THE TWIN TRIP

The light flashes have more distance to travel

as the ship gets farther from the receiver
THE TWIN TRIP
THE TWIN TRIP
THE TWIN TRIP
THE TWIN TRIP
 • THEREFORE, BOTH TWINS AGREE ON THE
SAME RESULTS:
• THE EARTH TWIN HAS AGED MORE THAN
THE TRAVELING TWIN

• THE TRAVELING TWIN EXPERIENCES TWO

THE TWIN FRAMES OF REFERENCE: ONE ON THE WAY
OUT AND ONE ON THE WAY BACK
TRIP • THE EARTH TWIN EXPERIENCED A SINGLE,
DIFFERENT REFERENCE FRAME
• THEY MEET AGAIN AT THE SAME POINT IN
SPACE, BUT NEVER THE SAME POINT IN
TIME
 • BEFORE THE THEORY OF RELATIVITY, NO
ONE THOUGHT WE COULD EVER TRAVEL
GREAT DISTANCES IN SPACE
• OUR LIFE SPAN IS TOO SHORT TO COVER
SPACE AND SUCH GREAT DISTANCES

TIME • TODAY, BECAUSE OF TIME DILATION, WE

KNOW THAT TIME FOR A PERSON ON
TRAVEL EARTH IS DIFFERENT THAN TIME FOR A
PERSON IN A HIGH-SPEED SPACECRAFT
• PROBLEM: THE AMOUNT OF ENERGY
NEEDED TO PROPEL A SPACECRAFT NEAR
THE SPEED OF LIGHT IS TOO GREAT.
 • IN THE FUTURE, PEOPLE MAY HAVE
THE OPTION TO TRAVEL INTO SPACE AND
RETURN TO A FUTURE CENTURY OF THEIR
CHOOSING

SPACE AND • THESE PEOPLE COULD NEVER COME BACK

TO THE SAME ERA THEY LEFT
TIME • TIME TRAVELS ONLY ONE WAY – FORWARD
TRAVEL • TIME AND SPACE, AND THEREFORE
SPACE-TIME, EXIST IN THE UNIVERSE, NOT
VICE VERSA
• WITHOUT THE UNIVERSE, THERE WOULD
BE NO SPACE OR TIME