Special Relativity | Senior Physics | meriSTEM

meriSTEM

About This Course

meriSTEM Special Relativity explores Galilean relativity, the postulates of special relativity, time dilation, the relativity of simultaneity, length contraction, muons, Bell's spaceship paradox, relativistic momentum, and extensions in Lorentz transformations. Introduced by meriSTEM expert contributors and brought to life by your teacher.

Course sub-topics

Galilean relativity 1
Galilean relativity on a train
Frame transformations
The postulates of special relativity
Time dilation
Relativity of simultaneity
Length contraction
Concluding remarks
Paradoxes: Muons
Paradoxes: Bell's spaceships
Paradoxes: The relativistic limo
Relativistic momentum
Extension: Lorentz transformations derivation
Extension: Fundamental effects from the Lorentz transformations
Extension: Lorentz transformations: the invariant interval

Information for teachers

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Course Staff

Ruvi Lecamwasam

Born in Britain and raised in New Zealand, Ruvi completed his undergraduate degree at the Australian National University in 2015 with a focus on theoretical physics. He is currently undertaking a PhD at the ANU, during which he will spend a year at the National University of Singapore.

Ruvi’s research interests include optomechanics, quantum optics, and quantum information. He is also very passionate about physics outreach and education, and currently tutors undergraduate first-year physics and third-year general relativity.

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