Special relativity: a first encounter, 100 years since Einstein

✍ Scribed by Domenico Giulini

• Publisher: Oxford University Press
• Year: 2005
• Tongue: English
• Leaves: 177
• Category: Library

✦ Synopsis

Special Relativity provides the foundations of our knowledge of space and time. Without it, our understanding of the world, and its place in the universe, would be unthinkable. This book gives a concise, elementary, yet exceptionally modern, introduction to special relativity. It is a gentle yet serious 'first encounter', in that it conveys a true understanding rather than purely reports the basic facts. Only very elementary mathematical knowledge is needed to master it (basic high-school maths), yet it will leave the reader with a sound understanding of the subject. Special Relativity: A First Encounter starts with a broad historical introduction and motivation of the basic notions. The central chapters are dedicated to special relativity, mainly following Einstein's historical route. Later chapters turn to various applications in all parts of physics and everyday life. Unlike other books on the subject, the current status of the experimental foundations of special relativity is accurately reported and the experiments explained. This book will appeal to anyone wanting a gentle introduction to the subject, as well as those who are interested in seriously learning about Einstein's legacy.

✦ Table of Contents

Cover......Page 1
Title Page......Page 4
ISBN: 0198567464, 0198567472......Page 5
Preface......Page 6
Contents......Page 8
1. Origin and significance of Special Relativity......Page 10
2.1 The dualistic concept of matter in the 19th century......Page 14
2.2 The principle of relativity in mechanics......Page 20
2.3 Is the relativity principle valid in electrodynamics?......Page 29
2.4 Experiments, contradictions, and consequences......Page 30
2.4.1 Aberration......Page 31
2.4.2 Fizeau’s experiment......Page 34
2.4.3 The Michelson–Morley experiment......Page 37
2.4.4 The FitzGerald–Lorentz deformation hypothesis......Page 44
3. Foundations of Special Relativity......Page 47
3.1 The notion of simultaneity......Page 50
3.2 Lorentz transformations......Page 55
3.3.1 Time dilation......Page 60
3.3.2 Length contraction......Page 63
3.4 Addition of velocities......Page 67
3.5 Causality relations......Page 69
3.6.1 Aberration......Page 72
3.6.2 Doppler effect......Page 74
3.7 Length contraction and visual appearance......Page 76
3.8 Mass, momentum, and kinetic energy......Page 78
3.9 Probably the most famous formula in all of physics......Page 84
3.10 Electrodynamics: Invariance of Maxwell’s equations......Page 89
4.1 Atomic physics......Page 95
4.2 Nuclear physics......Page 97
4.3 Elementary particle physics......Page 101
4.4 Daily physics: navigational systems......Page 107
4.5 Science fiction: travel to distant stars?......Page 111
4.6 Outlook on General Relativity......Page 114
5.1 Ole Rømer’s measurement of the velocity of light......Page 119
5.2 The independence of the velocity of light from the
state of motion of the source......Page 123
5.3 Do superluminal velocities exist?......Page 126
5.4 The Kennedy–Thorndike experiment......Page 131
5.5 The Ives–Stilwell experiment......Page 136
5.6 The current experimental status of
Special Relativity......Page 139
5.7 Synchronization by slow clock-transport......Page 146
5.8 Aberration and conformal transformations......Page 148
5.9 Transformation formulae for momentum, energy,
and force......Page 151
5.10 Minkowski space and the Lorentz group......Page 153
Bibliography......Page 163
Glossary......Page 167
Picture Credits......Page 171
Index......Page 172