Related papers: Projectiles, pendula, and special relativity
The definition of a reference frame in General Relativity is achieved through the construction of a congruence of time-like world-lines. In this framework, splitting techniques enable us to express physical phenomena in analogy with Special…
We consider the problem of the motion of a projectile thrown vertically upward from a surface. In addition to gravity, the drag force of the medium is taken into account, which is considered a quadratic function of the relative velocity of…
We introduce in the framework of the linear approximation of General relativity a natural distinction between General gauge transformations generated by any vector field and those Special ones for which this vector field is a gradient. This…
A simple general relativity theory for objects moving in gravitational fields is developed based on studying the behavior of an atom in a gravitational field. The theory is applied to calculate the satellite time dilation, light deflection…
Arguments are reviewed and extended in favor of presenting special relativity at least in part from a more mechanistic point of view. A number of generic mechanisms are catalogued and illustrated with the goal of making relativistic effects…
We consider gravitational scattering of point particles with Planckian centre-of-mass energy and fixed low momentum transfers in the framework of general relativity and dilaton gravity. The geometry around the particles are modelled by…
These lectures notes contain an introduction to General Relativity. They are addressed to a general mathematical audience with no specific background in physics. The goal is to motivate and explain Einstein's theory of gravity and discuss…
We study point particles in 2+1 dimensional first order gravity using a triangulation to fix the connection and frame-field. The Hamiltonian is reduced to a boundary term which yields the total mass. The triangulation is dynamical with…
Gravitational systems in astrophysics often comprise a body -- the primary -- that far outweights the others, and which is taken as the centre of the reference frame. A fictitious acceleration, also known as the indirect term, must…
A new approach to special relativity is presented which introduces coordinate systems with imaginary time axes, observation systems, and coordinate bases.
In these lectures general relativity is outlined as the classical field theory of gravity, emphasizing physical phenomena rather than mathematical formalism. Dynamical solutions representing traveling waves as well as stationary fields like…
Two complementary and equally important approaches to relativistic physics are explained. One is the standard approach, and the other is based on a study of the flows of an underlying physical substratum. Previous results concerning the…
As an expansion of complex numbers, the quaternions show close relations to numerous physically fundamental concepts. In spite of that, the didactic potential provided by quaternion interrelationships in formulating physical laws are hardly…
Special relativity theory is generalized to two or more ``maximal'' signalling speeds. This framework is discussed in three contexts: (i) as a scenario for superluminal signalling and motion, (ii) as the possibility of two or more ``light''…
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…
This contribution shows that the main topics of Relativity can be discussed at an elementary level and in a considerable extent - including the formal results of "Time Dilation" and "Lorentz Contraction" - by a minor modification of the…
We consider the forced motion of a relativistic particle constrained on a curve and present sufficient conditions for periodic oscillations by means of an illustrative geometrical approach. Obtained result is illustrated by a few examples…
The concepts of relative velocity and acceleration, deviation velocity and acceleration and relative momentum of point particles in spaces (manifolds), the tangent bundle of which is equipped with a transport along paths, are introduced. If…
Notes prepared for the introductory general relativity course PHYSICS 748 at The University of Auckland. They are designed to introduce general relativity to upper-year undergraduate students directly using the modern language of…
The nearly-incessant free oscillations of the Earth (not the larger, long-lived normal modes seen following intense quakes) were first observed by accident in the record of a tilt-sensitive instrument designed to study surface physics.…