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41508 SPECIAL RELATIVITY

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 12-01 Einstein’s Postulates and Time
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Dilation
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 Event
1526  Physical happening in a certain place at a certain time.
22154 
Reference Frame
1020  Coordinate system (x, y, z) and clock
95687  i.e. earth, airplane
20215

0002
 12-01 Einstein’s Postulates and Time
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Dilation
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 Inertial Reference Frame
1526
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 Reference frame where Newton’s Law of
1020
Inertia is valid
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 No acceleration
20215  No rotation

0003
 12-01 Einstein’s Postulates and Time
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 Einstein built theory of special relativity on these postulates.
1526  The Relativity Postulate
22154  The laws of physics are the same in every inertial reference
1020 frame.

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 The Speed of Light Postulate
 The speed of light in a vacuum, measured in any inertial
20215 reference frame, always has the same value of c, no matter how
fast the source of light and the observer are moving relative to
each other.

0004
 12-01 Einstein’s Postulates and Time
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 Consequences of Relativity Postulate
1526
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 Any inertial reference frame is as good as
1020
any other.
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 You can’t say any reference frame is truly at
20215 rest.
 There is no absolute velocity or rest, only
velocity relative to the reference frame.

0005
 12-01 Einstein’s Postulates and Time
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 Explanation of Speed of Light Postulate
1526  The observer on the truck measures speed of light to be c since
22154 he is holding the light.
 Logic says the observer on the ground measures the speed of
1020 light to be c + 15, but he doesn’t.
95687  The observer on the ground measures speed of light to be c also.
20215  Verified by experiment many times.

0006
 12-01 Einstein’s Postulates and Time
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 Simultaneous
1526
22154
 Just because two events appear
1020
simultaneous to one observer does not mean
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all observes see the events simultaneously
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0007
 12-01 Einstein’s Postulates and Time
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 Astronaut measures time by aiming a laser at a mirror.
1526 The light reflects from the mirror and hits a detector.
22154
 The person on earth says that the time of the event
must be longer because she sees the laser beam go
1020
farther.
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20215

0008
 12-01 Einstein’s Postulates and Time
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Dilation
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 Derivation of Time Dilation

 
1526
22154
1020
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0009
 12-01 Einstein’s Postulates and Time
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  Squaring and solving for Δt gives
1526
22154
1020  But the time the astronaut measured is
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20215

00010
 12-01 Einstein’s Postulates and Time
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Dilation
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 Time Dilation

    
1526
22154  Where
 Where
1020  Δt0 = proper time measured  v = relative speed
in a reference frame at rest
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relative to the event
between the
20215  Δt = dilated time measured observers
in a reference frame moving  c = speed of light
relative to the event
in a vacuum

00011
 12-01 Einstein’s Postulates and Time
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Dilation
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 Time dilation was confirmed by J.C. Hafele and
1526
R.E. Keating in 1971 by taking two very accurate
22154 atomic clocks.
1020 
One was still on earth and the other was flown
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around the world on commercial jets for 45 hours.
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 Afterwards the clocks were compared, and the

predicted difference was found.

00012
41508 12-02 Length Contraction
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
 The
  distance measured by a person at rest with the event
1526 is shorter than that measured by person at rest with
22154 respect to the endpoints.
1020
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 proper length
 Length between 2 points as measured by person at rest with
the points.

00013
41508 12-02 Length Contraction
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 Length only contracts along the direction
1526
22154
of motion, the others stay the same
1020
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Rest Moving

00014
41508 12-03 Relativistic Addition of Velocities
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 What if the combination of the truck and the
1526
ball added to be more than the speed of light?
22154
1020
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 The ground-based observer would observe the
20215 ball to travel faster than light.

 This cannot happen.

00015
41508 12-03 Relativistic Addition of Velocities
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  Relativistic Addition of Velocity
1526
22154
1020
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00016
41508 12-03 Relativistic Addition of Velocities
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
 Doppler
  shift for   
1526
relative velocity 𝑢

√
22154
1−
1020
u is relative velocity 𝑐
𝑓 𝑜𝑏𝑠 =𝑓 𝑠

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of source to observer
20215
𝑢
Positive if moving
1+


away
𝑐
00017
41508 12-04 Relativistic Momentum
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  Law of Conservation of Momentum
1526
22154
 The total momentum of a closed system
1020
does not change.
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 p = mv
20215

 However, when v approaches c, we must

adjust the formula

00018
41508 12-04 Relativistic Momentum
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 Relativistic
  momentum is always higher than
1526
nonrelativistic momentum because
22154
1020
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20215

 Since we divide by the radical in the formula,

the result is a larger number.

00019
41508 12-04 Relativistic Momentum
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 Notice that when the
1526 speed is near 0, the
22154 relativistic momentum is
1020 near the nonrelativistic.
95687  When the speed is near
20215 c, the relativistic
momentum increases
exponentially.

00020
41508 12-05 Relativistic Energy
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  The total energy of an object
1526
22154
1020
95687 
If the object is not moving, the rest
20215
energy is

00021
41508 12-05 Relativistic Energy
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   the object is moving, then the total
If
1526
22154
energy is
1020
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20215

00022
41508 12-05 Relativistic Energy
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 Mass and energy are the same
1526
22154
1020
 A change in one, means a change in the other.
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20215  For example, you pick up your backpack and
increase its gravitational potential energy.
 Since the energy increases, the mass must increase.
 So when you carry your backpack, it is actually
heavier than when it is on the ground.
00023
41508 12-05 Relativistic Energy
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 A final consequence
1526
22154
1020
 Objects with mass cannot reach the speed of
95687 light.
20215

 This is because it would take an infinite

amount of energy.

00024
41508 12-05 Homework
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 You have less mass if
1526 you use energy.
22154
1020
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20215

00025