Physics 200, Section 01, Special Relativity: Fall 2012

This material can be found online at URL

http://spiff.rit.edu/classes/phys200/phys200.html

Outline for the course, class schedule, etc.

Are you a physics major? If so, consider the advice from one of my fellow physics instructors.

Scores on Test 1

Lectures

• Week 1, Day A: Introduction, parable of the surveyors
• Week 1, Day B: A bit of history
• Week 1, Day C: Results of the Michelson-Morley experiment
• Week 2, Day A: Events: a good choice for units
• Week 2, Day B: Events: intelligent observers and synchronizing clocks
• Week 2, Day C: Events: making diagrams
• Week 3, Day A: Review space-time diagram from Week 2, Day C, then Inertial frames
• Week 3, Day B: Time dilation
• Week 3, Day C: Length contraction
• Week 4, Day A: Galilean transformations
• Week 4, Day B: The Lorentz transformations
• Week 4, Day C: Consequences of the Lorentz transformations
• Week 5, Day A: Paradox: the ladder and the barn
• Week 5, Day B: Relativistic Doppler effect
• Week 5, Day C: Test
  • Some practice problems for the test
• Week 6, Day A: Astronomical Spectra
• Week 6, Day B: The expanding universe
• Week 6, Day C: Superluminal motions?
• Week 7, Day A: The Twin Paradox, Part I
• Week 7, Day B: The Twin Paradox, Part II
• Week 7, Day C: The Twin Paradox, Part III
  • Physics in the News: A planet discovered (?) around alpha Cen B
• Week 8, Day A: Kinetic Energy in the non-relativistic regime
• Week 8, Day B: Kinetic Energy in the relativistic regime
• Week 8, Day C: Momentum in the non-relativistic regime
• Week 9, Day A: Momentum in the relativistic regime
• Week 9, Day B: Space-Time and Momentum-Energy
• Week 9, Day C: Supernova 1987A and the mass of the neutrino (Part I)
• Week 10, Day A: Supernova 1987A and the mass of the neutrino (Part II)
• Week 10, Day B: The Compton Effect
• Week 10, Day C: IceCube
• Final Exam: Thurs, Nov 15, 8:00 - 10:0 AM, room GOS-A300

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 RIT E-mail address, something like abc1234. Your initial password should be the final 4-digits of your student RIT E-mail address, so if your E-mail address is abc1234, the initial password would be 1234. Include all zeroes: if your E-mail address is abc0211, then your initial password will be 0211. You can change your password from the default after you log in for the first time.

0. Introduction to Webwork system due Thursday, Sep 8, at 5:00 PM.
   • Answers to Homework 0
1. Converting units, Michelson-Morley experiment due Thursday, Sep 13, at 5:00 PM.
   • Answers to Homework 1
2. Events and a bit of mathematical practice due Thursday, Sep 20, at 5:00 PM.
   • Answers to Homework 2
3. Time dilation and length contraction due Thursday, Sep 27, at 5:00 PM.
   • Answers to Homework 3
4. Lorentz transformations due Thursday, Oct 4, at 5:00 PM.
   • Answers to Homework 4
5. Twin Paradox, Part I due Thursday, Oct 18, at 5:00 PM.
   • Answers to Homework 5
6. Twin Paradox, Part II due Thursday, Oct 25, at 5:00 PM.
   • Answers to Homework 6
7. Kinetic energy due Thursday, Nov 1, at 5:00 PM.
   • Answers to Homework 7
8. Momentum due Thursday, Nov 10, at 5:00 PM. Now due Sat, Nov 10 at 5:00 PM
   • Answers to Homework 8
9. Practice problems
   which do NOT count towards your grade, but simply give you practice. Answers will be revealed on Tuesday, Nov 13, at 5:00 PM.
   • Answers to Homework 9

Extra Credit Projects

1. Nanogravity probe Due Friday, Sep 28, at 5 PM.
2. A neutron telescope? Due Friday, Oct 12, at 5 PM.
3. Building the side-track Due Friday, Oct 19, at 5 PM.
4. Clumsy aliens Due Friday, Nov 2, at 5 PM.
5. The decay of a proton Due Friday, Nov 9, at 5 PM.
6. 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. Due Friday Nov 11, at 5 PM.

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. You may also want to see Professor Lindberg's home page for additional materials he has created.
• 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.
• The Nine 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.
• 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.

This page maintained by Michael Richmond. Last modified Nov 9, 2011.