Introduction to Special Relativity - January IAP 2021

Explore the fundamental concepts of special relativity in this comprehensive MIT course taught by Professor Markus Klute. Delve into Albert Einstein's groundbreaking 1905 theory and its profound impact on our understanding of physics, space, and time. Learn about length contraction, time dilation, Lorentz transformation, relativistic kinematics, and Doppler shifts. Examine intriguing "paradoxes" and their resolutions. Through a series of lectures, discover the historical context, experimental evidence, and practical applications of special relativity. Investigate topics such as spacetime diagrams, causality, 4-vector notation, momentum and energy conservation, particle collisions, and the theory's implications for electromagnetism. Gain insights into related concepts from general relativity, including the equivalence principle and experimental tests. This course offers a thorough introduction to special relativity, suitable for students seeking a deep understanding of this fundamental theory in modern physics.

1.1 Course Organization (8.20 Introduction to Special Relativity).
1.2. Prof. Klute’s Research.
1.3 History of Special Relativity.
1.4 Guest Lecture: Space, Time, and Spacetime  .
1.5 Categories of Physics.
2.1 Events.
2.2 Galilean Transformation.
3.1 Light.
3.2 Waves.
3.3 Michelson-Morley Experiment.
3.4 Stellar Aberration.
4.1 Time Dilation.
4.2 Muons.
4.3 Length Contraction.
4.4 Invariance.
4.5 Lorentz Transformation.
5.1 Voyager Program.
5.2 Velocity Addition.
5.3 Spacetime Diagrams.
5.4 Regions in Spacetime Diagrams.
5.5 Causality.
6.1 Pole-in-the-Barn Paradox.
6.2 Twin Paradox.
6.3 Spacecraft-on-a-Rope Paradox.
7.1 Introduction to the Doppler Effect.
7.2 Relativistic Doppler Effect.
7.3 Redshift.
7.4 Galaxy Travel.
8.1 Algebra of Lorentz transformations.
8.2 Introduction to 4-Vector Notation.
8.3 Proper Velocity.
9.1 Momentum Conservation.
9.2 Energy Conservation.
9.3 Collisions.
10.1 Tests of Special Relativity.
10.2 The Large Electron-Positron Collider.
10.3 Deuteron Production.
10.4 Absorption and Emission of Photons.
10.5 Decay of a Pion.
10.6 Creation of Particles.
10.7 Compton Effect.
10.8 Global Positioning System.
11.1 Charge and Current.
11.2 Electric and Magnetic Fields.
12.1 Equivalence Principle.
12.2 Time Dilation Effect on Earth.
12.3 Bending of Light.
12.4 Redshift Tests.
12.5 General Relativity.
12.6 Experimental Evidence .
13.2 Course Review .
9.4 Forces and Kinetic Energy.