Lecture 8
Space and time: Special relativity
Henceforth space by itself, and time by
itself, are doomed to fade away into mere
shadows, and only a kind of union of the
two will preserve an independent reality.
Hermann Minkowski (1864 1909)
German physicist
The Theory of Relativity
Albert Einstein surprised the world in 1905 when
he theorized that time and distance can not be measured absolutely
they only have meaning when they are measured relative to something
Einstein published his theory in two steps:
special theory of relativity (1905)how space & time are interwoven
general theory of relativity (1915)effects of gravity on space & time
What is relative in relativity?
motionall motion is relative
measurements of motion (and space & time) make no sense
unless we are told what they are being measured relative to
What is absolute in relativity?
the laws of nature are the same for everyone
the speed of light (in a vacuum), c, is the same for everyone
What is Relative?
A plane flies from Nairobi to Quito at 1,650 km/hr.
The Earth rotates at the equator at 1,650 km/hr.
An observer
on the Earths surface sees the plane fly westward overhead
at a far distance sees the plane stand still and the Earth rotate
underneath it
Special relativity features appear only when
speed involved is close to the speed of light
Before diving into Einsteins relativity well go slowly to
understand some basics
Reference frames
Paradox
Why cant you reach the speed of light
Well do thought experiments
Well discover a very weird reality
A Good Paradox
Paradoxis a situation that seems to violate
common sense or contradict itself.
the paradox is resolved when the rules of nature are
better understood
Ideas & consequences of relativity are not evident
in everyday life.
we do not experience the extreme speeds & gravity
required
so we have no common sense about relativity
The Up Paradox
In childhood, we regard up as a single direction above our head.
When we realize that people in Australia do not stand upsidedown
we revise our common sense
up is defined relative to the center of the Earth
Reference Frames
Two or more objects which do not move relative to each other share the sam
reference frame.
they experience time and measure distance & mass in the same way
Objects moving relative to the other are in different reference frames.
like the plane and ground below
they experience time and measure distance & mass in different ways
Since ground observers see light move at c, the plane passenger is always slower.
Thought Experiments
Low Speed
Very High Speed
What would Jackie see?
Thought Experiments
Low Speed
Very High Speed
Thought Experiments
Low Speed
Thought Experiments
Low Speed
Thought Experiments
Very High Speed
If light speed is absolute then you cant reach the
speed of light
In what reference frame?
Can you outrace your own beam lights?
.
Hows that?
& Consequences for the Universe?
Time Dilation
To an observer outside the train, the ball appears to move faster.
makes common sense
Time Dilation
Now lets consider Jackie moving by at
close to the speed of light .
she bounces light instead of a ball
The outside observer can not see
the light moving faster than c.
yet the light does travel a longer
distance as seen by the observer
so time must run more slowly for
Jackie!
Time dilation formula:
t ' t 1 (v / c )
moving
rest
Order or Simultaneity of Events
The red & green flashes occur
simultaneously for you.
Jackies fast motion causes the
green light to reach her first
you both agree on that
But Jackie considers herself
stationary in her reference frame.
she sees both lights travel the
same distance at velocity c
yet she sees the green light first
so the green flash occurs before
the red flash in her reference frame
Length Contraction
As Jackie moves past you at high velocity(and she thinks you are zooming
by)
you try to measure the diameter of her ship
but she sees that time moves more slowly for you
so you measure a shorter length than she does (distance = velocity x
time)
Objects appear shorter to you in the direction which they are moving.
Length Contraction
As Jackie moves past you at high velocity(and she thinks you are zooming
by)
She tries to measure the diameter of your ship
but you see that time moves more slowly for her
so she measures a shorter length than you do (distance = velocity x time)
Objects appear shorter to you in the direction which they are moving.
Length contraction
L ' L 1 (v / c )
Mass Increase
As Jackie moves by at high
speed, you give both her & her
identical sister a push.
time runs more slowly for Jackie,
so she feels the push for a shorter time
Jackie accelerates less than her
sister does
Newtons 2nd Law (F = ma)
says if F is same, Jackies mass
must be greater
Objects moving by you have a greater mass than when at rest.
Mass Increase
E mc
Objects moving by you have a greater mass than when at rest.
MASS increase
Moving mass
rest mass
1 (v / c )
This is weird enough but, is it true?
How have experiments and observations
verified that the speed of light is always the
same?
How have experiments verified other
predictions of the special theory of relativity?
Is the Speed of Light Absolute?
The speed of light was first measured by Olaus Roemer in 1675.
Experimental evidence for the absoluteness of c came in [Link]
Michelson-Morley experiment: A.A. Michelson & E.W. Morley
used an interferometer to show that the speed of light is not
affected by the Earths motion around the Sun
The speed of light is unaffected by the motion of binary stars
Is the Speed of Light Absolute?
Other tests of the special theory of relativity:
subatomic particles have been accelerated to speeds of
0.9999 c
no matter how much energy we put in, they never reach c
the + meson particle decays in 18 nsec when at rest
at high velocities, it lasts longerproving time dilation
the equation E = mc2, exemplified by nuclear reactors and
bombs, is a direct consequence of special relativity
Toward a New Common Sense
If you observe time running slow in a
spaceship moving by you at high
speed, how do passengers in the
spaceship view your time?
New Common SenseIts All
Relative!
As Jackie moves by you at close to the speed of
light
you will see her time run slower, her length contract,
and her mass increase
But what does Jackie see?
she is stationary; she sees you moving by at high speed
since the laws of nature are the same for everyone
she sees your time run slower, your length contract,
and your mass increase
New Common SenseIts All Relative!
How can both perceptions be correct?
just as an Australian can see the Moon up in the sky while
simultaneously an American does not
a correct definition of up will resolve the dispute
the dispute between Jackies and your perceptions of each other
can be resolved with more adequate definitions of time & space
Ticket to the Stars
Although we can not travel faster than the speed of light
special relativity will make the journey seem shorter if we can
travel close to the speed of light
Time moves more
slowly for the space
traveler.
The distance to be
covered is contracted.
Space travelers can
reach distant stars in
their lifetimes.
Their friends and
family will not be there
to greet them when
they return home to
Earth.
TIME TRAVEL?
You can come back from the stars
but not at the same time
Board a spaceship
Go 99.995%c to a star 500 ly away
Go back (the earth will be in the year 3000)
Youll be aged 10 years only
The biggest time traveler so far is an astronaut named Sergey Evdeyev,
who was on the Mir Space Station for a total of 748 days on three
space flights. When he returned to earth he had aged about a 1/50 of a
second less that if he stayed home. That is, when he returned to earth
he found the Earth a 1/50 of a second to the future than what he
expected it to be.
The twin paradox
The Twin paradox is a thought experiment in special relativity : of two twin brothers,
one undertakes a long space journey at high speed while the other remains on Earth.
When the traveller finally returns to Earth, it is observed that he is younger than the
twin who stayed put.
The paradox arises if one takes the position of the travelling twin: from his perspective,
his brother on Earth is moving away quickly, and eventually comes close again. So the
traveller can regard his brother on Earth to be a "moving clock" which should
experience time dilation. Special relativity says that all observers are equivalent, and no
particular frame of reference is privileged. Hence, the travelling twin, upon return to
Earth, would expect to find his brother to be younger than himself, contrary to that
brother's expectations. Which twin is correct?
It turns out that the travelling twin's expectation is mistaken: special relativity does not
say that all observers are equivalent, only that all observers in inertial frames are
equivalent, i.e. observers which don't undergo acceleration. But the travelling twin most
certainly accelerated at least once during his journey and his is therefore not an inertial
frame.
What have we learned?
What is relative?
What is absolute?
Chapter S2
Exercises:10,11,12,15
