Related papers: Relativity in Introductory Physics
The two surprising features of gravity are (a) the principle of equivalence and (b) the connection between gravity and thermodynamics. Using principle of equivalence and special relativity in the {\it local inertial frame}, one could obtain…
We advance an universal approach to the construction of kinematics in non-inertial and, in particular, rotating reference frames. On its basis a 10-dimensional space including three projections of velocity vector and three turn angles in…
Special Relativity is taught to physics sophomores at Johns Hopkins University in a series of eight lectures. Lecture 1 covers the principle of relativity and the derivation of the Lorentz transform. Lecture 2 covers length contraction and…
This contribution reports on the continued formalisation of an axiomatic system for Minkowski spacetime (as used in the study of Special Relativity) which is closer in spirit to Hilbert's axiomatic approach to Euclidean geometry than to the…
Einstein's theory of general relativity models the physical universe using spacetimes which satisfy Einstein's gravitational field equations. To date, Einstein's theory has been enormously successful in modeling observed gravitational…
The present short essay, of essentially historical nature, aims at describing the transition from the Euclidean-Newtonian space-time geometry of Classical Physics to the Pseudoriemannian geometry of General Relativity, including the…
Special relativity turns out to be more than coordinate transformations in which the constancy of the speed of light plays the central role between two inertial reference frames. Special relativity, in essence, is a theory of…
Starting from a suggestion of Einstein on the construction of the concept of space, we elaborate an intrinsic method to obtain space and time transformations between two inertial spaces of reference, mathematically modeled as affine…
Whoever has to learn or to teach thermodynamics is confronted with conceptual difficulties which are specific to this field of physics ([1],[2]). It seems that they can be eliminated by inserting relativity in the thermodynamic theory. The…
We are proving that the Lorentz boost entails the relative velocity to be ternary: ternary relative velocity is a velocity of a body with respect to an interior observer as seen by a preferred exterior-observer. The Lorentz boosts imply…
.This article reexamines the genesis of special relativity by situating the contributions of Lorentz, Poincare, and Einstein within the scientific, documentary, and editorial context of the years 1895--1913. It emphasizes the rapid…
A generalized definition of a frame of reference in spaces with affine connections and metrics is proposed based on the set of the following differential-geometric objects: (a) a non-null (non-isotropic) vector field, (b) the orthogonal to…
The book is based largely on the author's researches presented at conferences in the period 1992 onwards. It is a historically based exposition and an extension of the hyperbolic version of special relativity first proposed by Vari\'cak…
I review, some of the algebraic and geometric structures that underlie the theory of Special Relativity. This includes a discussion of relativity as a symmetry principle, derivations of the Lorentz group, its composition law, its Lie…
The nature of gravity is fundamental to understand the scaffolding of the Universe and its evolution. Einstein's general theory of relativity has been scrutinized for over ninety five years and shown to describe accurately all phenomena…
These notes represent approximately one semester's worth of lectures on introductory general relativity for beginning graduate students in physics. Topics include manifolds, Riemannian geometry, Einstein's equations, and three applications:…
Of the various formalisms developed to treat relativistic phenomena, those based on Clifford's geometric algebra are especially well adapted for clear geometric interpretations and computational efficiency. Here we study relationships…
Einstein's general theory of relativity is the standard theory of gravity, especially where the needs of astronomy, astrophysics, cosmology and fundamental physics are concerned. As such, this theory is used for many practical purposes…
In this article, we argue that the theory of special relativity, as formulated by Einstein, is a philosophical rather than a scientific theory. What is scientific and experimentally supported is the formalism of the relativistic mechanics…
The starting point of the theory of Special Relativity$^1$ is the Lorentz transformation, which in essence describes the lack of absolute measurements of space and time. These effects came about when one applies the Second Relativity…