Ch. 26: The Special Theory of Relativity Questions & Answers
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Ch. 26: The Special Theory of Relativity
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Ch. 26: The Special Theory Of Relativity
Ch. 26: The Special Theory of Relativity
Inertial reference frames - Answer- Which are reference frames in which Newton's first law is valid: if an object experiences no net force, the object either remains at rest or continuous in motion with constant speed in a straight line.
*Earth is rot...
Ch. 26: The Special Theory of Relativity
Inertial reference frames - Answer- Which are reference frames in which Newton's
first law is valid: if an object experiences no net force, the object either remains at
rest or continuous in motion with constant speed in a straight line.
*Earth is rotating and therefore not an inertial reference frame, but can treat it as one
for many purposes.
A reference frame that moves with constant velocity with respect to an inertial frame
is itself also an inertial frame.
-When we say that we observe or make measurements from a certain reference
frame, it means that we are at rest in that reference frame.
Relativity principle - Answer- The basic laws of physics are the same in all inertial
reference frames.
*Laws are the same, but paths may be different in different reference frames
Assumptions:
1. The lengths of objects are the same in one reference frame as in another
2. Time passes as the same rate in different reference frames
Postulates of the Special Theory of Relativity - Answer- 1. The laws of physics have
the same form in all inertial reference frames
-there is no experiment you can do in an inertial reference frame to determine if you
are at rest or moving uniformly at a constant velocity
2. Light propagates through empty space with speed c independent of the speed of
source or observer
*The speed of light is in fact the same in all inertial reference frames
Simultaneity - Answer- One of the implications of relativity theory is that time is NOT
absolute.
The time interval between two events, and even whether or not two events are
simultaneous, depends on the observer's reference frame
*event: something that happens at a particular place and at a particular time
Simultaneity: Thought Experiment - Answer- -If two events are observed to occur at
the same time, but one actually took place farther from the observer than the other,
then the more distant one must have occurred earlier, and the events were not
simultaneous
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