Related papers: A traveler-centered intro to kinematics
We introduce the concept of kinetic equations representing a natural extension of the more conventional notion of a kinetic relation. Algebraic kinetic relations, widely used to model dynamics of dislocations, cracks and phase boundaries,…
This paper presents some ideas which might assist teachers incorporating special relativity into an introductory physics curriculum. One can define the proper-time/velocity pair, as well as the coordinate-time/velocity pair, of a traveler…
Motions with respect to one inertial (or ``map'') frame are often described in terms of the coordinate time/velocity pair (or ``kinematic'') of the map frame itself. Since not all observers experience time in the same way, other…
Following a line of research that I have developed for several years, I argue that the best strategy for understanding quantum gravity is to build a picture of the physical world where the notion of time plays no role. I summarize here this…
When introducing special relativity, an elegant connection to familiar rules governing Galilean constant acceleration can be made, by describing first the discovery at high speeds that the clocks (as well as odometers) of different…
We consider defining time as a function of a cyclical field, an abstraction of a clock. The definition of time corresponds to a novel interpretation of the relationship between space-time coordinates of observers at different locations in…
In the Special Theory of Relativity space and time intervals are different in different frames of reference. As a consequence, the quantity 'velocity' of classical mechanics splits into different quantities in Special Relativity, coordinate…
The space-time of modern physics is tailored on light. We rigorously construct the basic entities needed by kinematics: geometry of the physical space and time, using as tool electromagnetic waves, and particularly light-rays. After such a…
The classical dynamics of a particle that is driven by a rapidly oscillating potential (with frequency $\omega$) is studied. The motion is separated into a slow part and a fast part that oscillates around the slow part. The motion of the…
In a first course of general relativity it is usually quite difficult for students to grasp the concept of a geodesic. It is supposed to be straight (auto-parallel) and yet it 'looks' curved. In these situations it is very useful to have…
This tutorial, addressing physics teachers and undergraduate students, aims at clarifying some aspects of time in special relativity. In particular, time dilation is usually presented only as the well-known ratio of lab time over proper…
We take J. S. Bell's commendation of ``frame-dependent'' perspectives to the limit here, and consider motion on a ``map'' of landmarks and clocks fixed with respect to a single arbitrary inertial-reference frame. The metric equation…
This lecture note covers Relativistic Kinematics, which is very useful for the beginners in the field of high-energy physics. A very practical approach has been taken, which answers "why and how" of the kinematics useful for students…
Background independence is often emphasized as an important property of a quantum theory of gravity that takes seriously the geometrical nature of general relativity. In a background-independent formulation, quantum gravity should determine…
The peculiarities of rotating frames of reference played an important role in the genesis of general relativity. Considering them, Einstein became convinced that coordinates have a different status in the general theory of relativity than…
The concept of a physical space, which actualizes Euclidean geometry, is not confined to the statics of solids but extensible to the phenomena where Newtonian mechanics is valid, defining its concept of time. The laws of propagation of…
Einstein's theory of general relativity is based on the premise that the physical laws take the same form in all coordinate systems. However, it still presumes a preferred decomposition of the total kinematic Hilbert space into local…
Dynamics, the physical change in time and a pillar of natural sciences, can be regarded as an emergent phenomenon when the system of interest is part of a larger, static one. This "relational approach to time", in which the system's…
We present a generally covariant approach to quantum mechanics in which generalized positions, momenta and time variables are treated as coordinates on a fundamental "phase-spacetime." We show that this covariant starting point makes…
From the principle that there is no absolute description of a physical state, we advance the approach according to which one should be able to describe the physics from the perspective of a quantum particle. The kinematics seen from this…