Einstein’s

Theory of
Special
Relativity
E=MC2
 WHAT IS RELATIVITY?
• RELATIVITY IS THE WORD FOR HOW THINGS ONLY HAVE IMPORTANCE
IN RELATION TO OTHER THINGS.

• RELATIVITY IN PHYSICS USUALLY ENCOMPASSES SPECIAL RELATIVITY

PUBLISHED BY ALBERT EINSTEIN IN 1905 AND GENERAL RELATIVITY
ALSO PUBLISHED BY ALBERT EINSTEIN IN 1915.

• THIS PROJECT PRIMARILY AIMS TO EXPLAIN EINSTEIN’S THEORY OF

SPECIAL RELATIVITY WHICH MAINLY FOCUSES ON LIGHT, SPACE, TIME,
MASS AND ENERGY. SPECIAL RELATIVITY IS ‘SPECIAL’ BECAUSE IT
MOSTLY DEALS WITH OBJECTS AT CONSTANT VELOCITY MOTION.
 Chapter #1
TO UNDERSTAND SPECIAL RELATIVITIY, WE NEED TO, AT FIRST,
UNDERSTAND THE CLASSICAL,

Newtonian
Relativity
“The laws of motion are the
same in all inertial frames|”
.
 The laws of MOTION ARE THE SAME IN ALL
INERTIAL FRAME
The, now dubbed, ‘Newtonian Relativity’ by Sir Isaac Newton is the expanded version of the first
ever and original relativity, the ‘Galilean Relativity,’ proposed by Galileo Galilei in the 17th
Century. The theory states that the laws of physics (mechanics) are the same for all observers
moving at constant speed and without any acceleration. This means we all play the same physical
rules regardless of whether we are in motion or at rest. An observer, while in rest, will perceive
another observer, who is in motion, to be moving. However, the observer who is in motion can also
claim that the observer at rest is moving too. In this case, according to the theory, both of them are
correct. Hence, the theory states that motion is undetectable and relative and that there is no such
thing as an 'absolute motion'. In the next few slides, some thought experiments will be presented in
an attempt to contradict this theory.
Contradiction#1 (Thought Experiment #2)
(EXPECTATION)
Contradiction failure (Thought Experiment #2)
- REALITY -

Inertia
< ---
--> CONTRADICTION FAILURE

NEWTON’S FIRST Constant velocity motion cannot be

L AW S TAT E S : detected using particles due to inertia.
“THE TENDENCY OF Inertia causes the object or particle to
AN OBJECT TO retain its state of motion which forth
R E M A I N AT R E S T O R results in the failure of detecting motion
REMAIN IN MOTION using particles. But what about waves?
IS CALLED
I N E RT I A . ”
Thought Experiment #3 Further demonstration of inertia

----> V b + V b

----> V b
Contradiction#2 (Thought Experiment #3) Person’s frame of reference
--->VSound

--->V Sound

Einstein’s frame of reference

<----- V soun
d
(Wind)
--> CONTRADICTION FAILURE

Waves require a medium in order to travel. Mediums

T H E E S C A L AT O R
can travel inversely to its waves and this prevents the
EFFECT detection of motion using waves. This effect is similar
to walking on an escalator but being stuck in one
position due to the speed of the escalator resisting and
cancelling the walking speed (assuming both have
equal speeds). Hence this effect is called the “escalator
effect”
 - Chapter 1 Summary -
The laws of motion are the same in all inertial frames. Motion
is undetectable as we cannot detect motion using particles as
particles are affected by inertia. However, waves are not
affected by inertia, but we are still unable to detect motion with
waves as well because waves are affected by the medium
through which they travel. Therefore, this is called the
Newtonian Relativity.
 Chapter #2
Does light break Newtonian Relativity?

In the 1860s, James Clerk Maxwell, Michael Faraday and some other physicists
discovered that light is an electromagnetic wave. The specialty of an electromagnetic
wave is the fact that it can travel through empty space and does not require any sort
of medium.