Relativity: History

• 1879: Born in Ulm, Germany.

• 1901: Worked at Swiss patent office.
– Unable to obtain an academic position.
• 1905: Published 4 famous papers.
– Paper on photoelectric effect (Nobel prize).
– Paper on Brownian motion.
– 2 papers on Special Relativity.
– Only 26 years old at the time!!
• 1915: General Theory of Relativity published.
• 1933: Einstein left Nazi-occupied Germany.
– Spent remainder of time at Institute of
Advanced Study in Princeton, NJ.
– Attempted to develop unified theory of
gravity and electromagnetism (unsuccessful).
 Thought Experiment - Gedanken
The Special Theory of Relativity
Einstein asked the question
“What would happed if I rode a light beam?”

• Would see static electric and magnetic fields

with no understandable source.
• Electromagnetic radiation requires changing
E and B fields.
• Einstein concluded that:
• No one could travel at speed of light.
• No one could be in frame where speed
of light was anything other than c.
• No absolute reference frame
Time Dilation/Length Contraction:
Muon Decay
• Why do we observe muons
Muon’s frame
created in the upper atmosphere
Length
on earth?
Contraction Proper lifetime is only τ = 2.2 µ s
→ travel only ~650 m at 0.99c
Earth’s frame • Need relativity to explain!
– Time Dilation: What lifetime do we
see?
Time – Length Contraction: What length
Dilation does the muon see?
– What is the corresponding length in
the earth frame?
Gallilean view of purple laser pulse
V=U+V’, doesn’t work if V’ is c
 Laser pulse for blue car frame

Laser pulse for red car frame

 Co-ordinate transforms and
Minkowski space

Length of car
In two frames
Minkowski
 Relativity of Simultaneity
Two events simultaneous in one inertial frame are not simultaneous
in any other inertial frame moving relative to the first
OR
Clocks synchronized in one inertial frame are not synchronized
in any other inertial frame moving relative to the first

v=0 ct v≠0 ct ct’

x = xi + vt

x’
x x
O A B C O A B C
 Handy Light Clock
Consider pulse of light bouncing between
two mirrors (retroreflectors)

to = d / c
Now Observe Same Clock moving

Thought Experiment
Gedanken Experiment

Consider an inertial
frame of reference:
Elevator moving
upward at a constant
velocity, v.
Moving Light Clock
Consider path of pulse of light in
moving frame of reference: Light
Clock

ct
vt
d

to = d / c