Skip to main content

What is Special Relativity?

By Unknown

Special relativity is the generally accepted and experimentally well-confirmed physical theory regarding the relationship between space and time. In Albert Einstein's original pedagogical treatment, it is based on two postulates:
  1. The laws of physics are invariant (i.e. identical) in all inertial systems (non-accelerating frames of reference).
  2. The speed of light in a vacuum is the same for all observers, regardless of the motion of the light source.
It was originally proposed in 1905 by Albert Einstein in the paper "On the Electrodynamics of Moving Bodies". The inconsistency of Newtonian mechanics with Maxwell’s equations of electromagnetism and the lack of experimental confirmation for a hypothesized luminiferous aether led to the development of special relativity, which corrects mechanics to handle situations involving motions at a significant fraction of the speed of light (known as relativistic velocities).

As of today, special relativity is the most accurate model of motion at any speed. Even so, the Newtonian mechanics model is still useful (due to its simplicity and high accuracy) as an approximation at small velocities relative to the speed of light. Special relativity implies a wide range of consequences, which have been experimentally verified, including length contraction, time dilation, relativistic mass, mass–energy equivalence, a universal speed limit and relativity of simultaneity.

It has replaced the conventional notion of an absolute universal time with the notion of a time that is dependent on reference frame and spatial position. Rather than an invariant time interval between two events, there is an invariant spacetime interval. Combined with other laws of physics, the two postulates of special relativity predict the equivalence of mass and energy, as expressed in the mass–energy equivalence formula E = mc2, where c is the speed of light in a vacuum. A defining feature of special relativity is the replacement of the Galilean transformations of Newtonian mechanics with the Lorentz transformations. Time and space cannot be defined separately from each other. Rather space and time are interwoven into a single continuum known as spacetime. Events that occur at the same time for one observer can occur at different times for another.

 This post is a part of an article originally published at wikipedia licensed under Creative Commons CC BY-SA 3.0. 

Popular posts from this blog

Introduction to General Relativity

By Unknown
Hello guys It is a General introduction to general relativity. General relativity theory was given by Albert Einstein after 16 years of Special relativity. General theory of relativity is a Theory of gravity. Before that there was Newton's theory of gravity. Newton told that every matter in the universe attract each other with the force of gravity that force of gravity is directly proportional to the product of the masses and inversely proportional to the square of distance between them. There was a problem with this theory of gravity that this theory of gravity couldn't explain why does matter attracts, means how matter attract each other. what is the reason behind that attraction. Suppose I have to attract an apple on ground I have to make a contact with the Apple to attract it but gravity attract everything without any contact. So how that works was the problem behind the Newton's theory of gravity. So our one genius named Albert Einstein figured out this proble...
Read more

Understanding Spacetime and its Curvature

By Unknown
Space and time are not two different entities they are fused and considered as one, according to Special Relativity, called Spacetime. In previous post i said that Gravity is the result of spacetime. Now, i will put some light on this idea of General Relativity, that how it works. Spacetime is a fabric of universe in which all bodies moves. Matter curves the spacetime, And if there is no matter, that spacetime is called flat spacetime. Suppose that a body is moving from A to B in straight line in flat spacetime. If there comes a curvature in spacetime due to any mass, then the path from A to B will also be bend in the same way as Spacetime is bend. Think Spacetime as trampoline, if i put one ball on trampoline, it will be bend, and if i put a small ball in motion around that ball, that ball will follow the path of trampoline (just like revolving around that big ball) Using this Idea, i will explain motion of Earth around Sun. Our sun curves spacetime, if there is no sun then O...
Read more