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PHYS 481 - SPECIAL THEORY OF RELATIVITY
Fall 2007
Phys481 : Special Theory of Relativity. A third year course.
Text book :
Relativity: Special, General and Cosmology by Wolfang Rindler.
Second Edition.Oxford Universty Press.
Other Books:
Spacetime Physics by E.F. Taylor and J. A. Wheeler, W.H. Freeman and Company, San Francisco.
Special Relativity by A. P. French, (The M.I.T Introductory
Physics Series), Norton and Company, New York, 1968
Content:
In this period the first seven
chapters of " Rindler " will be covered. See the
"Course Syllabus" below
Course Schedule:
Monday 08.40-10.30 , SAZ-20
Wednesday 10.40-12.30 , SAZ-20
Exams:
(%30) Midterm Exam :
October 24 (at the lecture hour)
(%40) Final Exam :
(%30) Projects :
Subjects will be Covered
Reading assignments
Introduction
Galilean Transformation
Newtonian Relativity
The ether and Micelson Morley Experiment
Origins of sepcial relativity
Einstein s postulates
Einstenins Equavalence principle and general relativity
September 17
On the nature of physical theories
Basic features of special realtivity
Relativity of simultaneity , time dilation and length contraction
The relativity principle and homogeneity and isotropy of inetrtial frames
Derivation of Lorentz trasformations
September 24
Properties of the Lorentz tranformations
Graphical representation of the Lorentz transformations
The relativistic speed limit
October 1
Relativistic Kinematics
World Line picture and world-map
Paradoxes
October 8
Veloctity transformation
Acceleration Transformation
Rigid motion
October 15
Relativistic Optics
the Drag effect
The Doppler effect
Aberration
October 22
Spacetime and Four vectors
Minkowski Space
The light cone and intervals
Three-vectors, four-vectors
The geomtery of four-vectors
October 29
Relativistic particle mechanics
Domain of validity
The axioms of new mechanics
The equivalence of energy and mass
Four momentum identities, the zero momentum frame
November 5
Light quanta and de Broglie waves
The Compton Effect
Four-force and three-force
November 12
Four Tensors; Electromagnetism in Vacuum
Tensors
Maxwell s equations in tensor form
November 19
The four potential
Transformation of E and B; The dual filed
The field of uniformly moving point charge
November 26
The filed of an infinite straight current
The energy tensor of the electromagnetic filed
From the mechanics of the filed to the mechanics of the material continua
December 3
Review
Course Syllabus
1. Sept.17. Galilean Transformation, Newtonian relativity.
2. Sept.24. Origins of special relativity and Einstein s Postulates.
3. Oct.01. Basic features of specila relativity
4. Oct.8. Properties of Lorentz trasformations
5. Oct.15. Relativistic Kinematics
6. Oct.22. Velocity and acceleration transformations
7. Oct.29. Relativistic optics
8. Nov.5. Minkowski Space
9. Nov.12 Relativistic particle physics.
10. Nov.19. de Broglie waves and Compton effect.
11. Nov.26. Electromagnetism in vacua.
12. Dec.3. Transformation of E and B.
13. Dec.10 Energy momentum tensor
14. Dec.17 Review
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Last update June 22, 2007
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