CHAPTER 21 WHAT IS RELATIVITY? TERMS AND DEFINITIONS. Frame of reference- is part of the description of motion.

. Nonintertial reference frame- is one in which an isolated object appears to be accelerating. It is actually the frame, not the object that is accelerating. General theory of relativity- attempts to explain within a single framework almost all the laws of the physical universe. The main premise of this theory is that the theory must be valid for all reference frames, inertial and noninertial. Special theory of relativity- a theory which did not only solve the riddle regarding the velocity of light but also explored the very nature of motion, space and time. Ether- was the medium in which light was assumed to propagate Time dilation- when observing another reference frame, especially one that approaches the speed of light, the moving reference frames time interval changes. Here, the duration of the interval appears longer than the proper time Relativistic mass- the mass of the body that is in motion. It is always greater than the mass of the object at rest. Inertial reference frame- is nonrotating, nonaccelerating, one in which Newtons first law of motion holds. In such a frame, an object at rest remains at rest and an object in motion continue to move at constant velocity if no force acts on it. Relativity- it is the observation of the motion of a body by two different observers in relative motion to each other. Gravitational Red Shift- is another result of the general theory of relativity. Gravity affects time by causing it to slow down- the greater the gravitational field, the greater the slowing of time. LAWS/ THEORIES/ PRINCIPLES Events and Inertial Reference Frames An event is a physical happening that occurs at a certain place and time. To record the event an observer uses a reference frame that consists of a coordinate system and a clock. Different observers may use different reference frames. The theory of special relativity deals with inertial reference frames. An inertial reference frame is one in which Newtons law of inertia is valid. Accelerating reference frames are not inertial reference frames. The Postulates of Special Relativity. The theory of special relativity is based on two postulates. The relativity postulate states that the laws of physics are the same in every inertial reference frame. The speed-of-light postulate says that the speed of light in a vacuum, measured in any inertial reference frame, always has the same value of c, no matter how fast the source of the light and the observer are moving relative to each other. The Relativity of Time: Time Dilation. The proper time interval t0 between two events is the time interval measured by an observer who is at rest relative to the events and views them occurring at the same place. An observer who is in motion with respect to the events and who views them as occurring at different places measures a dilated time interval t. The dilated time interval is greater than the proper time interval, according to the time-dilation equation. In this expression, v is the relative speed between the observer who measures t0 and the observer who measures t.

 The Relativity of Length: Length Contraction. The proper length L0 between two points is the length measured by an observer who is at rest relative to the points. An observer moving with a relative speed v parallel to the line between the two points does not measure the proper length. Instead, such an observer measures a contracted length L given by the length-contraction formula.

Length contraction occurs only along the direction of the motion. Those dimensions that are perpendicular to the motion are not shortened. The observer who measures the proper length may not be the observer who measures the proper time interval.

APPLICATIONS

MULTIPLE CHOICE. 1. A basic postulate of Einsteins theory of relativity is: A. moving clocks run more slowly than when they are at rest B. moving rods are shorter than when they are at rest C. light has both wave and particle properties D. the laws of physics must be the same for observers moving with uniform velocity relative to each other E. everything is relative 2. A consequence of Einsteins theory of relativity is: A. moving clocks run more slowly than when they are at rest B. moving rods are longer than when they are at rest C. light has both wave and particle properties D. the laws of physics must appear the same to all observers moving with uniform velocity relative to each other E. everything is relative 3. A consequence of Einsteins theory of relativity is: A. moving clocks run faster than when they are at rest B. moving rods are shorter than when they are at rest C. light has both wave and particle properties D. the laws of physics must appear the same to all observers moving with uniform velocity relative to each other E. everything is relative 4. According to the theory of relativity: A. moving clocks run fast B. energy is not conserved in high speed collisions C. the speed of light must be measured relative to the ether D. momentum is not conserved in high speed collisions E. none of the above are true

5. The proper time between two events is measured by clocks at rest in a reference frame in which the two events: A. occur at the same time B. occur at the same coordinates C. are separated by the distance a light signal can travel during the time interval D. occur in Boston E. satisfy none of the above PROBLEMS. 1. Find the mass of an electron (m= 9.1 x 10-31 kg) whose velocity is 0.99c? Given: Required: mo = 9.1 x 10-31 kg m=? v = 0.99 c Solution:

2. An observer sees a spacecraft, measured as 100 m long, when at rest, pass by in a uniform motion with a speed of 0.500c. What would be the length of the moving spacecreaft as measured by the observer? Given: Required: Lo = 100 m L=? V = 0.5c Solution: ( )