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Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Introduction to Special Relativity

Massachusetts Institute of Technology via MIT OpenCourseWare

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Overview

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The theory of special relativity, originally proposed by Albert Einstein in his famous 1905 paper, has had profound consequences on our view of physics, space, and time. This course will introduce you to the concepts behind special relativity including, but not limited to, length contraction, time dilation, the Lorentz transformation, relativistic kinematics, Doppler shifts, and even so-called “paradoxes.”

Syllabus

  • Lecture 1.1: Course Organization
  • Lecture 1.2: Prof. Klute’s Research
  • Lecture 1.3: History of Special Relativity
  • Lecture 1.4: Space, Time, and Spacetime
  • Lecture 1.5: Categories of Physics
  • Lecture 2.1: Events
  • Lecture 2.2: Galilean Transformation
  • Lecture 3.1: Light
  • Lecture 3.2: Waves
  • Lecture 3.3: Michelson-Morley Experiment
  • Lecture 3.4: Stellar Aberration
  • Lecture 4.1: Time Dilation
  • Lecture 4.2: Muons
  • Lecture 4.3: Length Contraction
  • Lecture 4.4: Invariance
  • Lecture 4.5: Lorentz Transformation
  • Lecture 5.1: Voyager Program
  • Lecture 5.2: Velocity Addition
  • Lecture 5.3: Spacetime Diagrams
  • Lecture 5.4: Regions in Spacetime Diagrams
  • Lecture 5.5: Causality
  • Lecture 6.1: Pole-in-the-Barn Paradox
  • Lecture 6.2: Twin Paradox
  • Lecture 6.3: Spacecraft-on-a-Rope Paradox
  • Lecture 7.1: Introduction to the Doppler Effect
  • Lecture 7.2: Relativistic Doppler Effect
  • Lecture 7.3: Redshift
  • Lecture 7.4: Galaxy Travel
  • Lecture 8.1: Algebra of Lorentz Transformations
  • Lecture 8.2: Introduction to 4-Vector Notation
  • Lecture 8.3: Proper Velocity
  • Lecture 9.1: Momentum Conservation
  • Lecture 9.2: Energy Conservation
  • Lecture 9.3: Collisions
  • Lecture 9.4: Forces and Kinetic Energy
  • Lecture 10.1: Tests of Special Relativity
  • Lecture 10.2: The Large Electron-Positron Collider
  • Lecture 10.3: Deuteron Production
  • Lecture 10.4: Absorption and Emission of Photons
  • Lecture 10.5: Decay of a Pion
  • Lecture 10.6: Creation of Particles
  • Lecture 10.7: Compton Effect
  • Lecture 10.8: Global Positioning System
  • Lecture 11.1: Charge and Current
  • Lecture 11.2: Electric and Magnetic Fields
  • Lecture 12.1: Equivalence Principle
  • Lecture 12.2: Time Dilation Effect on Earth
  • Lecture 12.3: Bending of Light
  • Lecture 12.4: Redshift Tests
  • Lecture 12.5: General Relativity
  • Lecture 12.6: Experimental Evidence
  • Lecture 13.1: Course Review

Taught by

Prof. Markus Klute

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