Welcome to the Home Page for Physics 495
Special Relativity

• more detailed descriptions of the class,
• a prospectus for a syllabus,
• a reading list of books useful for learning this material,
• handouts to supplement the texts, which will be Acrobat-readable (*.pdf) files that you should print out; parts of the course will follow these closely, since the available texts do not cover everything we will want to discuss,
• homework assignments and exam announcements,
• solutions to homework and examinations,
• links to other webpages relevant to the class.

Homework Assignments

1. Homework #1: a single problem.      Solution is here.
2. Homework #2: three problems from Rindler: 1.5, 1.13-14, 2.11
   Solutions are here.
3. Homework #3;     Solutions are here.
4. Homework #4;     Solutions:    No. 1,   No. 2
   slight additions made to p. 11-12 for Solution No. 1 [26 Sept., '01]
5. Homework #5, due 2 October;     Solutions:   here .
6. Homework #6, due 9 October;    Solutions:    here.
7. Homework #7, due Thurs., 18 October;    Solutions:    here.

8. Homework #8, due 20 November;    Solutions:    here.

Handouts of additional material, [in .pdf-format].

1. Summary of (3-dimensional) boost transformations for 4-vectors, and also 3-velocity, 3-acceleration, and 3-force.
2. Notes on the Geometry of spacetime, and associated Vector, Tensor, and Matrix Notation and Conventions.
3. Groups and Algebras
4. Tangent Vectors and Differential forms: Geometrical requirements
5. Notes on the Rotation Group
6. Lorentz Transformation Laws for Electromagnetic Fields, and also E, B, F, and A for a moving, charged particle, all from Coulomb's law
7. Brief Notes on Spinors Now updated, and completed.

This course is intended for the general knowledge of students of physics, in all areas.
This should certainly include both advanced undergraduates and also graduate students.
This can be done because we will go into more depth than is common in other classes, where special relativity is only a small part of the course material. (Nonetheless, some comments about prerequisites are given below the comments here.)

Because of the variety of students expected in the class, I will be pleased if everyone in the class will assist me in deciding what material we will discuss, and what level. The first version of such decisions has been put in the more detailed description already mentioned above.
The following are some general comments about the anticipated structure of the course.

• There will be regular homework assignments, over whatever it is that we are discussing.
     In addition, each student will select a project to be completed during the third quarter of the semester.
• There will be a midterm exam, and a comprehensive final exam.
• The bookstore will have copies for sale of a few different books, so that they are available if you desire. All of them are quite important, and good, I believe.
     The one by Wolfgang Rindler, "Introduction to Special Relativity," should be acquired by everyone. I will consider it "the text."
    The others are placed at the bookstore so that they may be more easily acquired if you decide to read them. Please see the reading list webpage for more details.
  There will also be various useful handouts over the course of the semester.
• The material on relativity in a standard general physics text, such as the one written by Halliday, Resnick, and/or someone else, is a reasonable essential prerequisite. Since we will be extending that material to 4 dimensions and also to electromagnetism, some ability with linear algebra, including surely matrix multiplication, and also the differential forms of Maxwell's equations will be important.
  Some background with analytical mechanics (junior level) is desirable.

•    A good set of (Postscript or pdf) notes for an (undergraduate) course at Brigham Young University on   Electromagnetism via differential forms which looks quite interesting, although only in 3-dimensional space.
•  Some interesting movies showing the fact that when one uses light rays to view very-fast-moving, 3-dimensional objects they appear to rotate, by Leo Brewin at Monash University in Australia, can be found at this webpage.
  I have copied two of the movies that I liked the best, which may be found here:
  • for a fast-moving Rubik's Cube moving toward you, and
  • for a fast-moving steam locomotive moving past you.
• Very latest (October, 2003) measurements for the Ives-Stillwell experiments on directionality and the speed of light are discussed here.
•  General Relativity is being taught this semester, Fall, 2003, at Cal. Tech. This link is the Webpage for that class.

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