Subject Code PHY 3 Physics 3

Module Code 16.0 Relativity

Lesson Code 16.4 Postulates of Einstein's Special Theory of Relativity
Time Frame 30 minutes

TA1 ATA2
Components Tasks
(min) (min)
Target By the end of this learning guide, you should be able to:
● State Einstein’s postulates of STR.
● Explain the origin of how space and time are fused 1
together through the Special Theory of Relativity.

Hook In a previous lesson, it was discussed how the “failed”

experiment of Albert Abraham Michelson and Edward
Williams Morley proved that light always travels with speed
8
3 × 10 𝑚/𝑠, independent of the inertial reference frame at 1
which it is observed. This led Einstein to formulate the theory
of special relativity, a theory that has surprising implications to
the way we view space and time.

Ignite The theory of special relativity is based on two postulates. The

first postulate states that all laws of physics are the same in
any inertial reference frame. To explain this, consider a child
on the back of a pickup truck moving at constant velocity. The
child throws a ball upward and catches it on its way down
(Figure 1(a)). For the child, the ball moved strictly along the
vertical. But according to his father who is stationary on the
ground nearby, the ball had a parabolic trajectory (Figure 1(b)).
There is nothing unusual here: two observers can have
observations if they are in different inertial reference frames.

17

Figure 1. The trajectory of a ball thrown upward as seen by (a) the kid
who threw it from the back of a moving pickup truck and (b) his dad
who is stationary on the ground. (taken from Serway & Jewett, 2008)

But if the two observers measured the positions of the ball at

different times and computed for the ball’s acceleration, they

1
Time allocation suggested by the teach11er.
2
Actual time allocation spent by the student (for information purposes only).

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 2
would both get 9. 8 𝑚/𝑠 . Note that this value came from the
law of gravitation. So both observers have verified the validity
of the physical law governing the falling ball. This is what is
meant by the first postulate: observers in different inertial
reference frames might disagree on observations, but they
should agree on the physical law governing their observations.

Physical constants like the gravitational constant 𝐺 and the

permittivity of free space ϵ0 cannot be observed and hence are
invariant under a change in inertial reference frame. These
constants allow us to verify the validity of physical laws. For
example, consider two astronauts on two different spaceships
moving near the speed of light. If the astronauts observe the
same pair of asteroids, they will probably get different values
for the masses 𝑚1 and 𝑚2 of the asteroids, the distance 𝑟
between the two asteroids, and the gravitational force 𝐹 the
asteroids exert on each other. But if they plug in their
observations into the law of gravitation,

𝑚1𝑚2
𝐹=𝐺 2
𝑟

and solved for the gravitational constant 𝐺, they should get the
same value.

The second postulate states that light in vacuum moves with

8
speed 3×10 𝑚/𝑠 in any inertial reference frame. Consider a
car moving forward at a constant speed of 20 𝑚/𝑠. Then, a
person on the car throws a ball forward with a speed of 10 𝑚/𝑠.
According to Galilean relativity (which was discussed in a
previous lesson), the speed of the ball relative to the ground is
20 𝑚/𝑠 + 10 𝑚/𝑠 = 30 𝑚/𝑠.

Now the person turns on a flashlight in the direction of motion

of the car. The flashlight fires a beam of light with speed
8
3. 0×10 𝑚/𝑠. According to Galilean relativity, the speed of
8
light relative to the ground should be 3×10 𝑚/𝑠 + 20 𝑚/𝑠.
But if someone on the ground had the capacity to measure the
8
speed of light, he/she will still measure 3×10 𝑚/𝑠. You could
argue that the 20 m/s is negligible compared to the speed of
light, but the result would still be the same even if the car was
8
moving at a more comparable speed, say, 2 × 10 𝑚/𝑠.

Because of this surprising phenomena, Galilean relativity and

the velocity addition formula had to be revised. Does this mean
that we have been using an incorrect velocity addition formula
all along? Not necessarily. Galilean relativity applies for objects

Physics 3 Postulates of Einstein's Special Theory of Relativity Page 2 of 4

 moving at speeds far from the speed of light. For speeds that we
encounter on a daily basis, we can still use the usual velocity
addition formula with minimal error. To give you an idea on
how small the error is, consider the largest speed ever recorded
on a manned aircraft (~2000 𝑚/𝑠), and the largest speed that a
bullet can reach (~1200 𝑚/𝑠). If the fastest bullet was fired
from the fastest manned aircraft, the speed of the bullet with
respect to a stationary observer, according to the usual velocity
addition formula, will be
2000 𝑚/𝑠 + 1200 𝑚/𝑠 = 3200 𝑚/𝑠. If we use the revised
velocity addition formula (which will be discussed in a future
lesson), the result will differ from 3200 𝑚/𝑠 only by
−8
8. 5×10 𝑚/𝑠.
Navigate Exercise: Answer the following problem. Follow your
teacher’s instruction on how to submit your answers.

For each of the following quantities, tell whether it is invariant

under a change in inertial reference frame or not.

1. Stefan-Boltzmann constant 10
2. potential energy
3. current
4. speed of light
5. temperature
6. Avogadro’s number

Knot To summarize, there are two postulates for Einstein’s special

theory of relativity. The first postulate states that all laws of
physics are the same for any inertial reference frame. In
applying this postulate, one must remember that observers in 1
different inertial reference frames might disagree on
observations, but they should agree on the physical law
governing their observations. The second postulate states that
the speed of light is constant in any reference frame. The
implications of these postulates will be discussed in the
succeeding lessons.

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References:
1. Alvarez, J. (2019). Senior High School General Physics 2 (1st ed.). Oxford Publishing.
2. Young, H. D., & Freedman, R. A. (2012). Sears and Zemansky’s University Physics with
Modern Physics (13th ed.). Pearson Education.
3. Serway, R. A., & Jewett, J. W. (2008). Physics for Scientists and Engineers with Modern
Physics (7th ed.). Cengage Learning.

Prepared by: Kendrick Agapito Reviewed by: Gineth Grace C. Calis

Position: Special Science Teacher II Position: Special Science Teacher IV

Campus: Main Campus: Cordillera Administrative Region

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