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Special Relativity
Version 110906, 110907, 110908, 110913
General Bibliography
1) Various wikipedia, as specified
2) Thornton-Rex, Modern Physics for Scientists & Eng, as indicated
Outline
• Galilean Transformations
• Names & Reference Frames
• The Ether River
• Michelson-Morley Experiments
• Einstein Postulates
• Lorentz Transformations
– Position
– Velocity
• Space-Time Diagrams
• Relativistic Forces & Momentum
• Relativistic Mass
• Relativistic Energy
CLASSICAL / GALILEAN / NEWTONIAN
TRANSFORMATIONS
Galilean Transformations
K’ frame moving with speed v
K frame fixed
How do the position, velocity, acceleration, & time between the 2 frames compare?
K frame fixed
How do the position, velocity, acceleration, & time between the 2 frames compare?
K K’ K’ K
x = x’ + vt x = x’ - vt
Newtonian Principle of Relativity
• If Newton’s laws are valid in one reference
frame, then they are also valid in another
reference frame moving at a uniform
velocity relative to the first system.
x P
K K’ x’-axis
x-axis
Conditions of the Galilean
Transformation
• Parallel axes (for convenience)
• K’ has a constant relative velocity in the x-direction with
respect to K
x’ = x – v t
y’ = y
z’ = z speed of frame
NOT speed of object
t’ = t is a
• Time (t) for all observers
Fundamental invariant,
i.e., the same for all inertial observers
Galilean Transformation
Inverse Relations
Step 1. Replace with .
Step 2. Replace “primed” quantities with
“unprimed” and “unprimed” with “primed.”
x = x’ + v t
y = y’
z = z’ speed of frame
NOT speed of object
t = t’
General Galilean Transformations
x x' vt
Position
dy dy '
t y t'y
dt dt
dt dt '
11
dt dt
frame K frame K’
t and t ' are the same ma F ma ' F
Acceleration
The Cassiopeia Project is an effort to make high quality science videos available to everyone.
If you can visualize it, then understanding is not far behind.
http://www.cassiopeiaproject.com/
To read more about the Theory of Special Relativity, you can start here:
http://www.phys.unsw.edu.au/einsteinlight/
http://www.einstein-online.info/en/elementary/index.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special_relativity
THE ETHER RIVER
HISTORY OF ETHER
MICHELSON-MORLEY EXPTS
The Ether River
D
v
c2
So that the difference in trip times is:
2 2 1
t t 2 t1 2
c 1 v2
1 v 2
c 2 c
Timeline of luminiferous aether
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Timeline_of_luminiferous_aether)
Cronholm144, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:AetherWind.svg
Timeline of luminiferous aether
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Timeline_of_luminiferous_aether)
Cronholm144, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:AetherWind.svg
Michelson-Morley Expt
“the most famous failed experiment”
Michelson-Morley:
Ether River - Revisited
v
D
v D
C
C
A
Orientation 2 r ive
r
wn
do
2 2 1
torient 2 t 2 t1
c 1 v2 2 1 v 2
2
c
c
Difference in Orientations
2 1 2 1 2 1 v2
torient1 torient 2 1 2 2
c 1 v2 2 1 v 2
2 c c
c
c
Michelson-Morley Measurements
Apollo 11 Apollo 15
v=30 km/s
c=3E8 m/s ~2002
accuracy
~1 mm
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lunar_Laser_Ranging_Experiment
22 2 2 1
torient1 t 2 t1 2
c v
2 2 c 1 v2 1 v
c 2
c2
22 2 2 1
torient 2 t 2 t1
c v
2 2 c 1 v2 2 1 v 2
2
c
c
torient1 torient 2 0
EINSTEIN’s 1905 POSTULATES
• All laws for physics have the same
functional form in any inertial reference
frame
x’-axis
x-axis
x' x vt
y' y
1
1 2
z' z
x v
t' t
c c
Lorentz Transformations
K K’ v
K K’
x P
x’
x’-axis
x-axis
x x' vt '
1
y y'
1 2
z z'
v
x'
t t ' c
c
K: 3km, 5us
Example
K’: 2.6km, -1.25us
v
P
A spaceship has indicator lights which are flashed at the same time.
At t’=0 the lights flash. The locations of the lights are x’rear=4km & x’front=+4km.
K’
K v
x’-axis
x-axis
As viewed from the Earth, a meteorite impacts the lunar surface at 3E8m and 2.5s .
ct ct’
Spherical wavefronts in K:
The Cassiopeia Project is an effort to make high quality science videos available to everyone.
If you can visualize it, then understanding is not far behind.
http://www.cassiopeiaproject.com/
To read more about the Theory of Special Relativity, you can start here:
http://www.phys.unsw.edu.au/einsteinlight/
http://www.einstein-online.info/en/elementary/index.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special_relativity
LORENTZ
VELOCITY
TRANSFORMATIONS
Lorentz Velocity Transformation
see page 40
dx'vdt '
dx dx'vdt '
dx
ux
dt dx'
dy dy ' dt '
c
dz dz '
dx' uy
dy
dy '
dt dt ' dt dx'
c dt '
c
Lorentz Velocity Transformation
see page 40
dx'
dt ' v
dx dx'vdt ' dt ' u ' x v
ux
dt dx' dx'
dt ' dt ' 1 1 u'x
c c dt ' c
dy'
dt '
dy dy' dt ' u' y
uy
dt dx' dx'
dt ' dt ' 1 1 u ' x
c c dt ' c
Note that because of the time transformation, the y- and z-components get messed up.
A spaceship traveling at 60%c shoots a proton
with a muzzle speed of 99%c at an asteroid.
What is the velocity of the proton as viewed from a ‘stationary’ space station?
MISC. LORENTZ
TRANSFORMATION
EXAMPLES
Cosmic Ray Muon Lifetime
electron mo=9.1e-31 kg
halflife = inf
muon mo=207 * (mass e)
halflife = 1.5e-6 sec
http://www.windows2universe.org/physical_science/physics/
http://landshape.org/enm/cosmic-ray-basics/ atom_particle/cosmic_rays.html
Cosmic Rays
Susan Bailey
Nuclear News
Jan 2000, pg 32
Cosmic Ray references
Cosmic Ray Muon Measurements
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yjE5LHfqEQI
http://www.ans.org/pubs/magazines/nn/docs/2000-1-3.pdf
http://pdg.lbl.gov/2011/reviews/rpp2011-rev-cosmic-rays.pdf
ashsd.afacwa.org/ radation
Cosmic Ray Muon Lifetime
muon mo=207 (9.1e-31 kg)
Suppose muon traveling at 0.98c
halflife = 1.5e-6 sec
2000 meters
Q3. How far do we observe the muon
to travel during that time ?
• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KYWM2oZgi4E
Atomic Clock Measurements
• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cDvmN_Pw96A
• d
Twin Paradox
Video Clip
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A0jiY-CZ6YA
Reliable Discussion at
http://www.phys.unsw.edu.au/einsteinlight/jw/module4_twin_paradox.htm
Spacetime Diagrams
Minkowski Diagrams
In SP211 course:
ux
x
ux
t x
Allowed region
Forbidden region
Two events plotted on a space time diagram
P=(x,y,z,t)
Simultaneity in a Stationary System
If s2 < 0
then x2 < (ct)2 = c2 t2
u' y 1
uy u' y
1 u ' x
ux , uy , uz c
px , py , pz
dm d
m
dt dt
d
dt
1
2 1 / 2
m ...
du dm
F m u ... 3 ma
dt dt
BECAUSE Newton’s Eqn Motion is different depending on the direction of the force.
Forces & Momentum (Sandin version)
PRO- ANTI-
Relativistic Mass People Relativistic Mass People
m = mo No such thing
Definitions
p=mu p=mu
F=ma
Newton’s Eqn of Motion with m mo
F=dp/dt
if F || u but throw in an extra 2
The following 9 slides present
Rex & Thorton’s
treatment of momentum in
Special Relativity
2.11: Relativistic Momentum
Because physicists believe that the
conservation of momentum is fundamental,
we begin by considering collisions where
there do not exist external forces and
dP/dt = Fext = 0
Relativistic Momentum
Frank (fixed or stationary system) is at rest in system K holding a
ball of mass m. Mary (moving system) holds a similar ball in
system K that is moving in the x direction with velocity v with
respect to system K.
Relativistic Momentum
• If we use the definition of momentum, the
momentum of the ball thrown by Frank is
entirely in the y direction:
pFy = mu0
K Before
Before (2.42)
K After (2.43)
(2.44)
Relativistic Momentum
The conservation of linear momentum requires the
total change in momentum of the collision, ΔpF + ΔpM,
to be zero. The addition of Equations (2.40) and
(2.44) clearly does not give zero.
Integration by parts
u dv uv v du
Relativistic Kinetic Energy
Start from rest and accelerate until u
Integration by parts
u dv uv v du
u
KE m u u m u du
0
u du d
c2 c 2 1 2
1 u 2
c2
1/ 2
1
2 1/ 2
2
evaluate
mc 2 1 u
imits
2 mc 2
c
1
KE mu 2 mc 2 mc 2
2
Relativistic Kinetic Energy
1
KE mu 2 mc mc
2 2 2
1 2
2 1 2
2
u c u 2 c u 1
2 u 2
c 2 c 2
u 2
c 2
u 2
KE mc mc 2 2
KE 1 mc 2
where we have neglected all terms of power (u/c)4 and greater, because u << c.
This gives the following equation for the relativistic kinetic energy at low speeds:
(2.59)
which is the expected classical result. We show both the relativistic and classical
kinetic energies in Figure 2.31. They diverge considerably above a velocity of 0.6c.
Total Energy
KE 1 mc 2
KE mc mc
2 2
mc KE mc
2 2
p c m c m c
2 2 2 2 4 2 4
p c E m c
2 2 2
tot
2 4
E p c m c
2
tot
2 2 2 4
an invariant
Youtube clips (part 3)
• Galilean/Classical Relativity
Part 3 – The Cassiopeia Project
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W6o_-yTa168
The Cassiopeia Project is an effort to make high quality science videos available to everyone.
If you can visualize it, then understanding is not far behind.
http://www.cassiopeiaproject.com/
To read more about the Theory of Special Relativity, you can start here:
http://www.phys.unsw.edu.au/einsteinlight/
http://www.einstein-online.info/en/elementary/index.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special_relativity
Examples
mc2 = 0.511 MeV
m = 9.1e-31 kg
Example 2.11 |q| = 1.6e-19 Coul
http://express.howstuffworks.com/exp-tv1.htm
http://www.o-digital.com/wholesale-products/2227/2285-4/LCD-TV-LDT32-225837.html
Example 2.13
A 2-GeV proton hits another 2-GeV proton in a head-on collision in
order to create top quarks.
http://www.fnal.gov
mc2=938 MeV
Example 2.16
The helium nucleus is built from 2 protons and 2 neutrons.
The binding energy is the difference in rest mass-energy of
the nucleus from the total rest mass-energy of it’s
component parts.
http://www.dbxsoftware.com/helium/
Example 2.17
The molecular binding energy is called dissociation energy.
It is the energy required to separate the atoms in a molecule.
The dissociation energy of the NaCl molecule is 4.24 eV.
http://www.ionizers.org/water.html
Sandin 5.30
http://www.flickr.com/photos/kqedquest/3268446670/
• Calculate
– Speed v
–
– Momentum p
– Rest-mass Energy
– Kinetic Energy KE
– Total Energy Etot
http://www2.slac.stanford.edu/vvc/cosmicrays/cratmos.html
Sandin 4.26
Spaceship A moves past us at 0.6c
followed by Spaceship B in the same direction at 0.8c
B A
B A