Chapter 36: The Theory of Special Relativity

Online Concept Tutorials

Special Relativity

This tutorial discusses the hypothetical concept of the ether wind and shows how the Michelson-Morley experiment found the ether wind to be nonexistent. It then presents the principle of the invariance of the speed of light, a special case of the general principle of relativity.

Implications of Special Relativity

This tutorial starts with the principle of the invariance of the speed of light and uses that principle to derive equations for time dilation and the relativity of simultaneity, illustrating those phenomena with spacetime diagrams.

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