Well, I'm still on the Relativity tract and have been trying to grasp some of the concepts more wholly. This is how I've tried to simplify Special Relativity to myself.
* Light travels at a constant speed and you can't go faster;
This is a property light has. As you approach light speed the force you put in no longer turns into acceleration, it becomes mass. You then become heavier and so you need more work to go faster and will never be able to reach the speed of light.
* Our experience of motion is relative and from different reference points we can never be in agreement on the Simultaneity of events.
We cannot detect motion in space without reference to an outside point, e.g. in a moving carriage with the blinds down, you will think you are stationary until you look outside and deduce you are moving
* Speed = Distance/Time
As light Speed doesn't change then Time or Distance must in this equation
To someone travelling at 99% the speed of light, Time slows down by a factor of 7
If you were to travel to a star 7 light years away, at 99% speed of light, it would take you 1 year, but to an observer on earth it would have taken you 7 years.
* Energy = Mass x C squared (speed of light)
Energy cannot be destroyed but can only change it's form; (e.g. when a car stops much of it's motion energy will turn to heat and sound energy with much energy retained as Mass which is potential Energy waiting to be liberated)
The following animation gives an entertaining and simplified explaination:
I also found this clip interesting:
No comments:
Post a Comment