Special Relativity for Pedestrians

Catalog description

The goal of the seminar is to teach Special Relativity (SR) using Einstein Notation (EN). The class is designed for enthusiastic students with no or little background in SR. Prerequisite Physics 21, or at least concurrent enrollment in Physics 21. First we will see how EN is used in non-relativistic physics. Then we will learn SR using EN. At the end we will explore how relativistic kinematics is used in High Energy Experiments (HEX) in colliders (like LHC). Good grasp of EN will prepare students to better understand General Covariance of Physics laws like Maxwell’s equations in Electromagnetism.