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Course Description
This course is normally taken by physics majors in their sophomore year.
Major Topics Include
Einstein's Postulates, and their Consequences for
Simultaneity
Time Dilation
Length Contraction
Clock Synchronization
Lorentz Transformation
Relativistic Effects and Paradoxes
Minkowski Diagrams
Relativistic Invariants and Four-Vectors
Relativistic Momentum, Energy, and Mass
Relativistic Particle Collisions
Relativity and Electricity
Coulomb's Law
Magnetic Fields
Introduction to Key Concepts of General Relativity
Prerequisites
Physics I (8.01), Calculus II (18.02)
Texts
Resnick, Robert. Introduction to Special Relativity. New York, NY: Wiley, 1968.
French, A. P. Special Relativity. Massachusetts Institute of Technology Education Research Center: MIT Introductory Physics Series. New York, NY: Norton, 1968.
Taylor, Edwin F., and John A. Wheeler. Exploring Black Holes: Introduction to General Relativity. San Francisco, CA: Addison Wesley Longman, 2000. ISBN: 9780201384239.
Grading
Grading criteria.ACTIVITIES | PERCENTAGES |
---|
Weekly Problem Sets (9 total) | 20% |
Quiz 1 (1 hour) | 20% |
Quiz 2 (1 hour) | 20% |
Final Exam | 40% |