Einstein's Theory of Special Relativity Quiz

Albert Einstein's Notable Achievements

• Published the Special Theory of Relativity in 1905 and the General Theory of Relativity in 1915.
• Awarded the Nobel Prize in 1921 for the photoelectric effect.

Gedankenexperiment

• "Gedankenexperiment" is a hypothetical scenario popularized by Albert Einstein.
• It illustrates and contemplates scientific principles and theories.
• Examples include "The Light Beam," "The Train and Lightning Strikes," and "The Twin Paradox" thought experiments.

The Trolley Problem (Theory of Special Relativity)

• An explanation of how speed affects mass, time, and space.
• Small amounts of mass can be interchangeable with enormous amounts of energy (E=mc²).
• E = energy, m = mass, c = speed of light (299,792,458 m/s).

Laws and Theories

• Laws describe observable phenomena and predict outcomes under specific conditions.
• Theories explain the underlying reasons for phenomena, providing a framework for understanding "why" and "how" things happen.
• Newton's Laws of Motion explain how objects move under various forces.
• Einstein's Theory of Relativity explains how space, time, and gravity interact. Special relativity applies to cases without significant gravity, involving high speeds and large distances.

Postulates of Special Relativity

• First Postulate: The laws of physics are the same in every inertial frame of reference.
• Second Postulate: The speed of light in a vacuum is the same in all inertial frames of reference and is independent of the motion of the source.

Michelson-Morley Experiment

• A controlled experiment aimed at detecting the aether.
• This hypothetical medium was believed to carry electromagnetic waves.
• The null result of this experiment showed that the aether did not exist and the speed of light is constant regardless of relative motion to the observer.

Time Dilation

• Time dilation is a phenomenon where time is observed to pass at different rates for observers in different reference frames.
• It occurs for an object moving at a velocity close to the speed of light relative to another observer.
• The formula for time dilation is At = (1 - v²/c²)^(-1/2) At0
  • where At = dilated time, At0 = proper time, v = relative velocity, c = speed of light.

Twin Paradox

• The twin paradox is a special relativity thought experiment involving identical twins, one traveling into space at high speed and returning to Earth.
• The twin who traveled into space ages less than the twin who stayed on Earth.

Length Contraction

• Length contraction describes the shortening of the measured length of an object moving relative to the observer.
• It only occurs along the direction of relative motion to the observer.
• The formula for length contraction is L = LO * (1-v²/c²)^(1/2), where L = observed length, LO = proper length, v = relative velocity, c = speed of light.

Relativistic Velocity Addition

• The formula for relativistic velocity addition accounts for the effects of special relativity when combining velocities in different reference frames.
• Unlike classical velocity addition, it ensures that no object exceeds the speed of light.
• Formula: u' = (u + v) / (1 + uv/c²)

Relativistic Doppler Effect

• The relativistic Doppler effect describes how the frequency of light or electromagnetic waves changes due to the relative motion between the source and the observer, considering special relativity.
• Motion toward the observer causes a blue shift (increased frequency), and motion away causes a red shift (decreased frequency).