Relativity

PHY589
MODERN PHYSICS:RELATIVITY
AND QUANTUM

Chapter 1
Relativity I: PART 2

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 Relativity

Relativity of Simultaneity
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Learning outcomes
By the end of this section, you will be able to:
• Show that two events measured as
simultaneous in one inertial frame are not
necessarily simultaneous in other inertial
frames.
• Describe how simultaneity is a relative concept
for observers in different inertial frames in
relative motion.
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Simultaneity
• Before Einstein’s special relativity, time was believed to
be an absolute quantity: that is time is the same for
everyone, everywhere. However, with the introduction of
special relativity, the notion of absolute time was given
up.
• An event is defined as something that happens at a
particular place and a particular time. Two events that
occur at exactly the same time are said to be
simultaneous.
 Relativity

Simultaneity I

Two flares were fired simultaneously by

the station.
Question: If two events are simultaneous
to an observer in one reference frame, are
they also simultaneous to another
observer that is moving with respect to
the first?

In reference frame of stationary observer

(person in the station)

 Light travels at constant speed, c. Since

the distance is equivalent, the time to
travel for the light to travel to person is
exactly the same. Hence, the person
can conclude that light waves reach the
station simultaneously.

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In the reference frame of moving
observer (in rocket)

Person in rocket sees flare A first,

so in the rocket frame, it is fired
first. This is because the speed of
light waves is the same.
Light waves reach the rocket
observer at different times

Simultaneity is relative

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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.
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Simultaneity – Thought
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. 7
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Simultaneity – Thought
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).

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Simultaneity – Thought
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 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.
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http://www.kcvs.ca/site/projects/physics_files/specialRelativity/spacetime/simultaneityV2.swf
Time dilation
 Relativity
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Learning outcome
By the end of this section, you will be able to:
• Explain how time intervals can be measured
differently in different reference frames.
• Describe how to distinguish a proper time
interval from a dilated time interval.
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Relativity of Time
•A mirror is fixed to the ceiling of a
vehicle.
•The vehicle
 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. Ann

•The flashlight emits a pulse of light

directed at the mirror (event 1) and the
pulse arrives back after being reflected
(event 2).

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Relativity of Time
(Moving Observer)
•Observer O’ carries a clock.
•She uses it to measure the time between the
events (Dt ’).
O

•Model the pulse of light as a particle under

constant speed.
●The observer sees the events to occur at the
same place.
●ΔtO’ = distance/speed = (2d)/c

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Ahmad

•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’.

http://galileoandeinstein.physics.virginia.edu/more_stuff/flashlets/lightclock.swf 15
 Relativity
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Relativity of Time
(Observations)
•Both observers must measure the speed of the light
to be c.
•The light travels farther for O.

•The time interval, ΔtO for O is longer than the time

interval for O’, ΔtO’.

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Ann Ahmad

Δt Δt ’
ΔtO’ O
Δt O
O

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Time Dilation

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γ Factor
•Time dilation is not
observed in our everyday
lives.
•For slow speeds, the factor
of γ is so small that no
time dilation occurs.
•As the speed approaches
the speed of light, γ
increases rapidly.
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Identifying Proper Time

●Since there two values of Δt by two observers,
which observer is observing the proper time?
●What is proper time?
●The proper time interval (Δt ) is the time
P

interval between events as measured by an

observer who sees the events occur at the
same point in space.
●Which one is the proper time Δt or ΔtO ? O’

The time interval ΔtO is called the proper time interval.

You must be able to correctly identify the observer who
measures the proper time interval.
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 Relativity

Summary
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•Time dilation
The time interval ΔtO between two events
measured by an observer moving relative
to a clock is longer than the time interval
ΔtO’ between the same two events measured
by an observer at rest with respect to the
clock.

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 Relativity
Example I

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?
A

Proper time Δtp = 4 s v = 0.8c

Find relative time Δt

Δt = 6.67 s
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EXAMPLE
The period of a pendulum is measured to be 3.0 s in the
rest frame of the pendulum. What is the period of the
pendulum when measured by an observer moving at
aspeed of 0.95c with respect to the pendulum?
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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

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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.
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 Relativity

Time Dilation Verification – Muon Decays I

(a)
(b)

•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 Δtp = 2.2 µs 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
γ Δtp (fig. b)
•A CERN experiment measured lifetimes in agreement with the
predictions of relativity. 27
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Muon Experiment and Time Dilation - YouTube

 Relativity
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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.
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The Twins’ Perspectives

•Goslo’s 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?

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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
time of 42 years.
● This gives a time for Speedo of 13 years and this agrees with the
earlier result.
1.There is no true paradox since Speedo is not in an inertial
frame.
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Twin Paradox of Special Relativity - YouTube

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DEC 2019
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DEC 2019
Relativity of Length
 Relativity
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Learning outcome
By the end of this section, you will be able to:
• Explain how length can be measured
differently in different reference frames.
• Describe how to distinguish a proper length
from a contracted length.
 Relativity
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A light-year is a unit of distance. It is the distance that light can
travel in one year. Light moves at a velocity of about 300,000
kilometers (km) each second. So in one year, it can travel about
10 trillion km. More precisely, one light-year is equal to
9,500,000,000,000 kilometers.

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Length Contraction

L = contracted length
Lp = proper length
V = relative velocity

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 Relativity

Relativity of Length I

•Now lets look at the length.

•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.
•In this case who would be observing the proper length?
•The earth observer (stationary) or the astronaut
(moving)?

Earth observer 39
 Relativity

Length Contraction I

If the earth observer (stationary) measured the distance of Earth and

Vega is measured to be 25.3 light years(ly).
How far is the distance of the Earth and Vega as measured by the
astronaut (moving observer)?

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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.

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 Relativity

Length Contraction I

Length contraction as a function of v:

Definition: Length contraction is the decrease in the measured

length of an object from its proper length when measured in a
reference frame that is moving with respect to the object
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Length Contraction I

Important note: Length

contraction occurs only in
the direction of motion.
Other directions are
unaffected.

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Length Contraction
0.9c
Lo
Since time is affected by
relative motion, length
will also be different: L

LP is proper length

L is relative length

Moving
Moving objects
objects are
are foreshortened
foreshortened due
due to
to relativity.
relativity.
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Example : A meter stick moves at 0.9c relative to
an observer. What is the relative length as seen by
the observer?
Lo 1m

0.9c

L=?

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.
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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 Wo
meter stick, in example.

If meter stick is 2 cm 0.9c

wide, each will say the 1 m=1 m
other is only 0.87 cm W<Wo
wide, but they will agree
on the length.
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EXAMPLE
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A spaceship is measured to be 100 m long while it is

at rest with respect to an observer. If this spaceship
now flies by the observer with a speed of 0.99c,
what length will the observer find for the spaceship?
L= proper length = 100 m
v= 0.99c
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 Relativity
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v = 10% c
Length
Contraction
v = 80% c
A fast-
moving
plane at
different
speeds. v = 99% c

v = 99.9% c

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Next
Part 3
Lorentz Velocity Transformation