640-221 Special Relativity (Advanced)

Note

credit cannot be gained for both 640-221 and either (the subject 640-221 listed in the 1995 and 1996 Handbooks) or (the subject 640-241 listed in the 1995 and 1996 Handbooks).

Credit Points

Coordinator

Prerequisites

Physics 640-121 + 640-122 or 640-141 + 640-142 Mathematics 620-111 or 620-121 or 620-142.

Pre/corequisites

Mathematics 620-112 or 620-122 or 620-200 or 620-211.

(For subjects completed prior to 1998, the Mathematics and Statistics departmental code 620- should be replaced by the superseded Mathematics departmental code 618-)

Semester

Contact

Subject Description

Special relativity revolutionised the way we look at motion, space, time and mass. This subject will explain difficulties faced by physics at the end of the 19th century and the basic principles of Einstein's theory of special relativity. Special relativity will be applied to simple problems, including the analysis of collisions and other phenomena involving high-speed particles.

Topics include: inertial frames; Einstein's postulates; Lorentz transformations; modifications to kinematics and Newtonian mechanics; causality and the speed of light as the limiting speed; four-vector formulation of kinematics and particle dynamics; spacetime interval; analysis of high energy collisions between particles; equivalence of mass and energy; experimental tests of special relativity; physical introduction to the Equivalence Principle and General Relativity.

Assessment

A 2-hour end-of-semester written examination plus tests and/or assignments, set during the semester, which may account for up to 20% of the final marks.

Prescribed Texts

• Taylor E F and Wheeler J A, Spacetime Physics. 2nd Ed., Freeman.