Physics 150, Special Relativity: Fall 2022

This material can be found online at URL

http://spiff.rit.edu/classes/phys150/phys150.html

Please consider submitting an on-line course evaluation of this course. You can find forms at http://rit.smartevals.com

Outline for the course, class schedule, etc.

Are you a physics major? If so, consider the advice from one of my fellow physics instructors; you might also peruse this list of aspects of a career in physics written by the Society of Physics Students. The Head of SoPA here at RIT, Professor Kotlarchyk, has put together information that might help you in thinking about your future and career:

Professor Kotlarchyk's information guide (Fall 2022) (PDF)

Scores so far

Lectures

Week 1, Day A: Introduction, parable of the surveyors
Week 1, Day B: A bit of history

Week 2, Day A: The surprising results of the Michelson-Morley experiment
Week 2, Day B: Events: a good choice for units Guest: Michael Lam

Week 3, Day A: Events: intelligent observers and synchronizing clocks
Week 3, Day B: Events: making diagrams

Week 4, Day A: Review space-time diagram from Week 3, Day B, then Inertial frames Guest: Mike Kotlarchyk
Week 4, Day B: Time dilation Guest: Scott Franklin

Week 5, Day A: Length contraction
Week 5, Day B: Galilean transformations

Week 6, Day A: The Lorentz transformations
Week 6, Day B: Consequences of the Lorentz transformations Guest: Greg Howland
Take home mini-test

Week 7, Day A: Paradox: the ladder and the barn
Hand in mini-test
Week 7, Day B: Test

Week 8, Day A: no class -- Fall Break
Week B, Day B: Relativistic Doppler effect Guest: Andy Robinson

Week 9, Day A: Astronomical Spectra
Week 9, Day B: The expanding universe

Week 10, Day A: Superluminal motions?
Week 10, Day B: The Twin Paradox, Part I Guest: George Thurston

Week 11, Day A: The Twin Paradox, Part II
Week 11, Day B: The Twin Paradox in the Media Guest: Pratik Dholabhai

The Twin Paradox, Part III

Week 12, Day A: Kinetic Energy in the non-relativistic regime
Week 12, Day B: Kinetic Energy in the relativistic regime Guest: Mike Zemcov

Week 13, Day A: Momentum in the non-relativistic regime
Week 13, Day B: Momentum in the relativistic regime Guest: Michael Pierce

Week 14, Day A: Space-Time and Momentum-Energy
Week 14, Day B: no class -- Thanksgiving break

Week 15, Day A: Supernova 1987A and the mass of the neutrino (Part I)
Week 15, Day B: Supernova 1987A and the mass of the neutrino (Part II)

Tue, Dec 13, 10:45 AM - 1:15 PM: Final Exam, CAR-1125
- Some practice problems for the final exam

Homework sets

In order to use the on-line homework system, you need to know your login name and your initial password. Your "login name" should be the same as your last name, but with lowercase letters only; something like richmond. Your initial password should be the final 4-digits of your student RIT student ID, so if your ID is 456781234, the initial password would be 1234. Include all zeroes: if your ID is 456780012, then your initial password will be 0012. You can change your password from the default after you log in for the first time.

Introduction to Webwork system due Friday, Aug 27, at 5:00 PM.
- Answers to Homework 0
Converting units, Michelson-Morley experiment due Friday, Sep 2, at 5:00 PM.
- Answers to Homework 1
Events and a bit of mathematical practice due Friday, Sep 16, at 5:00 PM.
- Answers to Homework 2
Time dilation due Fri, Sep 23, at 5:00 PM.
- Answers to Homework 3
Lorentz transformations due Fri, Sep 30, at 5:00 PM.
- Answers to Homework 4
Relativistic Doppler shifts due Friday, Oct 28, at 5:00 PM.
- Answers to Homework 5
Twin Paradox due Friday, Nov 11, at 5:00 PM.
- Answers to Homework 6
Kinetic energy due Tuesday, Nov 22, at 5:00 PM.
- Answers to Homework 7
Momentum due Monday, Dec 5, at 5:00 PM.
- Answers to Homework 7

Extra Credit Projects may be turned in any time before the last class meeting.

Measure some space-time intervals
A revised look at the bomb in the attache case
Clumsy aliens
The decay of a proton
Making a solar sail from aluminum foil This project requires a few bits of basic dynamics which you may not have seen in previous courses; please come talk to me in person if you have questions.

For more information:

There are many, many courses on special relativity taught in universities around the world. I'll list just a few here ... but you should search for sites which you enjoy and understand.

Professor Vern Lindberg's notes for this course may act as a textbook for you this quarter.
Lecture notes by Tatsu Takeuchi at Virginia Tech
Lecture notes by David Hogg at New York University
The Lorentz Transformation Animations are a set of applets which illustrate the ideas of special relativity.
NASA's "Planets" website is a good place to get accurate information on objects in the solar system.
The Review of Particle Physics is a good place to get accurate information on sub-atomic particles, or the latest values of fundamental physical constants.
Relativity explained in words of 4 letters or fewer
This story about a real solar sail may be of interest to those who have tried the Solar Sail extra credit project. You can learn more at the Planetary Society's LightSail website.
Words of wisdom from a former PHYS 150 student
What's involved in a career in physics? Read all about the options at this site sponsored by the Society of Physics Students.
A modified example of relativistic paradoxes combining the Lorentz transformations and the tape-recorder story.
The Exoplanet app for iOS will show you everything you wanted to know about the planets circling other stars, or asteroids in our own Solar System.

Did I make a mistake while writing things on the board? If you're too shy to shout out, "Hey, you made a mistake!", you may simply play one of the following sounds on your device.

This page maintained by Michael Richmond. Last modified Aug 24, 2021.