o                Course homepage, Ongoing Lectures, TT-system 
  • Instructor’s weekly informal sessions:

Tu 3:30-4:20, RAS 213 ; Fri 4-5, RLM 5.104

 

Lec. 40 Special theory of relativity (STR) -- II

o        Basic postulates of STR

·         Constancy of the speed of light in all inertial frames

·         Law of physics are the same in all inertial frames. No experiment can be performed to measure the speed of an inertial frame.

o        Transformation among space-time coordinate systems

·         Galilean transformation: Space and time coordinates are independent of each other.

·         Lorentz transformation: Space and time coordinates are inter-dependent.

o        Velocity addition formula: Verify constancy of speed of light.

o        Time dilation (Revisit): Moving clock ticks slower 

·         Intuitive reasoning based on a light-clock ( a review).

·         Derivation based on Lorentz transformation (see also example 6 in the text)

·         Experimental confirmation: Lengthening the life-time of unstable particles.

·         Twin paradox and its resolution (see text discussion)

o        Length contraction: (See example 6, a derivation based on Lorentz transformation)

o        Doppler shift:

·         Doppler shift of sound waves (Nonrelativistic)

·         Doppler shift of light waves (Relativistic)

·         Motion of distant heavy body

è Hubble’s expansion of the universe

è Big bang cosmology.

o        Energy momentum of a particle.

 

Reminders:

  • Read chapter 36, work on PQ question in chapter 36 and HW14.
  • On this Friday we will have the last Friday informal session of the semester.

o      Come bring your questions on HW14.

o      Participate informal discussions on STR.

Please mark your calendar. See time and place above.

  • Midterm 4:  Th (5/1), 7pm (be there by ~6:50), Belmont 328.
  • Office hour today has been cancelled. If you would like to see me, please catch me immediately after the class.